As the United Nations’ top human rights body, the Human Rights Council, convenes in Geneva, IDLO is urging stronger action to ensure women’s access to justice. In the face of persistent violence and discrimination against women and girls, the organization is calling for greater legal empowerment of women. This comes as IDLO hosts an event in the city, with support from the governments of Australia, Austria and Finland. IDLO believes that while the law is an essential tool to advance gender equality, justice for women is about more than passing new laws and reforming court systems: it is about giving women power over their lives at every level of the justice chain – starting with the village.
To debate this, IDLO has invited senior experts, government representatives and field practitioners from:
- Afghanistan
- India
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Papua New Guinea
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
The conversation will focus on:
- The role of international human rights instruments and human rights bodies in supporting women’s access to justice
- The challenges and opportunities of engaging with informal justice systems
- Good practices and lessons learned from the field
Click here to view the flyer of the event.
Click here to view the short film on Women's Access to Justice.
The debate follows the recent launch of IDLO’s report, Accessing Justice, which features case studies from the participants’ home countries. The document, available at the event, explores legal empowerment strategies in settings where women have been let down by justice systems, either formal or informal. Also represented on the panel will be the US State Department and the UNHCR.
For further information, please contact Renee Chartres at rchartres[at]idlo.int