When I began my summer fellowship at the Legal Aid Commission (LAC) in Accra, Ghana, I expected to learn about the legal system by observing attorneys, conducting research, and assisting with client matters. What I did not fully appreciate was that my understanding of access to justice would begin before I even arrived at the office each morning. It began with the commute.
Getting to work in Accra meant competing for public transportation (Trotro), navigating traffic, and dealing with crowded roads. Some days, by the time I got to the office, I was already tired due to the hectic commute. Transportation was not just a matter of convenience but also of time and financial considerations.
That experience made me think differently about the clients and who came through the doors of the Legal Aid Commission.
If transportation were a challenge for someone working at a legal institution, what would that mean for someone already struggling financially and needing legal assistance? For a client living just a few miles from the office, the cost of transportation can become another barrier to accessing justice. A person may have to choose between paying transportation costs to attend the appointment and using that same money for food, school expenses, medical needs, or other family responsibilities. For many clients, the journey to justice begins with a very practical question: can I afford to get there?
The Legal Aid Commission plays an important role in addressing one part of that problem by providing legal assistance to people who may not otherwise be able to afford an attorney. During my fellowship, I saw how important service is and the role it plays in deciding whether to seek justice. I once had a client who asked how long her appointment would take because she wanted to go eat. When I made inquiries about whether she could go and have food and come back, she told me she intended to go back home because the money she had on her was only enough for her to return home, but not to eat or even drink water.)
I also began reviewing the Commission’s case records, particularly those involving women.
The numbers caught my attention. When I examined cases involving female clients and gender related legal issues, I found thousands of matters involving divorce, maintenance (child support), child custody, marital and property disputes, abuse, assault, rape, and other related issues.
Across the periods reviewed, the records reflected approximately 4,200 qualifying cases involving women from the year 2021 to 2026. At first they were simply numbers on a spreadsheet, but the longer I worked with clients, the harder it became to see them as just numbers. Instead, they began to represent women navigating the uncertainties of their lives by advocating for themselves.
The numbers tell us these problems are not isolated. They also made me think about the Ghanaian context in which these cases occur. Ghanaian communities are often strongly connected through family, community, and social relationships. These connections can provide vital support, but they can also complicate personal and family disputes. Decisions about marriage, children, property, and family responsibilities do not always affect only two people, but can involve extended family members and a broader community.
For most women, seeking legal assistance may therefore require more than understanding the law. It may require navigating family expectations, financial limitations, social relationships, and practical realities of everyday life.
Another side of this reality is through the clients themselves. Most women who come to the Commission were not simply looking for someone to give them a legal answer. They were seeking to be heard. This made the client interviews one of the most meaningful parts of my experience. I learned that good legal work begins with listening carefully.
My own experience with transportation made this lesson even more personal. Every day, I was reminded that access is practical. A legal right means little if a person cannot reach the institution that can enforce it. Legal knowledge is important, but so are financial resources and the ability to navigate the system.
This is why I believe the numbers can tell a story on their own. They show how many women sought legal assistance, and the types of problems they brought forward.
These numbers also raise questions that deserve further research. How many women needing legal assistance never reach the Commission because of transportation costs or financial barriers? How many are delayed seeking help because they cannot afford to miss work? How do family expectations influence women’s decision to pursue legal action? What additional resources could make legal services more accessible to women in Ghana?
These questions extend beyond the spreadsheet. My summer fellowship taught me that access to justice is not simply having a system available, or having an attorney or the law on your side. It is about whether people can realistically reach and use the system.
Isabella Danhoui is a law student at the University of Dayton School of Law. During her summer fellowship with the Legal Aid Commission in Accra, Ghana, she worked with clients, assisted with legal research and drafting, and examined issues surrounding women’s access to justice.