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International Association of Women Judges Hosts Global Forum for Women and Justice
March 5, 2009
CONTACT:
Joan Winship/Anne Goldstein
202.661.6501
jwinship@iawj.org or agoldstein@iawj.org
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN JUDGES HOSTS
GLOBAL FORUM FOR WOMEN AND JUSTICE
Washington, DC (March 3, 2009)
“No matter what their judicial or legal system, women judges find that violence against women is prevalent everywhere at all levels of society,” stated Joan D. Winship, Executive Director of the IAWJ. Recognizing this global reality that cuts across all legal, political, and economic systems, the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is proud to have hosted the second annual Global Forum on Women and Justice with support from Avon Products, Inc.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the United States Supreme Court, keynoted the conference, speaking to an audience that includes women pioneers on the highest courts of Argentina, Rwanda and Tanzania, as well as more than 50 judges who have presided over courts from Norway and Nunavut (the northernmost territory of Canada), to the USA, Jordan, Bangladesh and South Africa.
Cherie Blair, UK lawyer, human rights activist and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressed the Global Forum on Women and Justice on Tuesday evening. (Her speech can be found here.)
During the Global Forum, participants addressed steps judges can take – and have taken– to make justice more accessible for victims of gender-based violence. In Cameroon, judges are encouraging women in customary marriages to formalize the relationship in order to obtain the rights guaranteed by statute but negated in the absence of a registered marriage. In Kenya, judges work to implement that country’s new Sexual Offenses Act, in Brazil women judges were instrumental in encouraging the implementation of the first Domestic Violence Act, and closer to home, Securities & Exchange Commission Administrative Law Judge Brenda Murray works to bring programming and literature to women prisoners in the DC region through an ambitious book club.
During the Global Forum, Andrea Jung, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Avon Products, Inc. announced Avon’s efforts to eradicate violence against women through new global efforts, including establishing the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice at Cornell Law School and Avon’s commitment of $1.25 million over 2 years to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for its efforts to eradicate violence against women.
Several times during the past six years, the International Association of Women Judges has been recognized by UNIFEM at the United Nations for the impact of its judicial education programs to advance equal rights and address issues of violence against women. In 2009 the IAWJ is implementing a new program funded by UNIFEM titled Jurisprudence, Access and Accountability in Zambia, that will not only provide judicial training for men and women judges on violence against women and applying international human rights law at the domestic level, but also will address the issues of responsiveness and accessibility of the courts for women in the community.
Avon’s Global Ambassador, actress Reese Witherspoon, also addressed the Forum, to help launch Avon’s 2009 grassroots campaign by its 6 million Avon Sales Representatives around the globe to raise funds and awareness to support efforts to end violence against women and girls.
Working sessions at the Global Forum allowed the participants to share their experience and expertise with regard to overcoming obstacles to justice in gender-based violence cases, the use of international human rights law and norms in domestic courts, the intersection between law and health in gender-based violence cases, and particularly the difference a judge can make in improving access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence.
“For almost two decades, women judges of the IAWJ have worked to advance human rights, eliminate discrimination on the basis of gender, and make the courts accessible for all. The courts have a unique role to play in addressing violence against women and this Global Forum for Women and Justice, with the support of Avon, is another step forward in this effort,” stated Joan Winship.
About the International Association of Women Judges
The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization of more than 4,000 members at all levels of the judiciary in more than 90 nations. Formed in 1991, the IAWJ unites women judges from diverse legal and judicial systems who share a commitment to equal justice and the rule of law. The IAWJ believes that women judges are in a unique position to advance the rights of women through the judicial system, and to protect and empower women throughout the world. Through pioneering judicial education programs and worldwide collaboration, the IAWJ has focused its special efforts on addressing issues of violence and discrimination against women in order to advance equal justice, to eliminate gender bias in the courts, and to make the courts accessible to all, especially women and children. Learn more about the International Association of Women Judges and its programs at www.iawj.org
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