In addition to identifying the openings created by weak empirical statehood, the research also revealed the precarity of human rights gains that circumvent the state. Using opportunities presented by state fragility to advance a singular human rights agenda, means successes are accompanied by new challenges. Weak rule of law undermines the durability of newly introduced gender protections. Ongoing corruption and unchecked patronage limit the extent to which intended beneficiaries of legal aid can take advantage of legal protections . NGOs substituting for the state in the areas it is perceived to be failing may serve to retrench state capacity over the long term. back to the central government by whom they were poorly paid. And NGOs, constrained in their ability to act outside of the strict funding priorities established by donors, prove unable to advocate for more broad-based legal reform. Such strategies were considered deeply problematic by South African activists, who emphasized the paramount importance of state involvement even in the face of hostility and resistance.