Gender Justice

Accountability and rule of law are cornerstones for peace and development. Yet, in many post-conflict environments, gender-based discrimination, inequality and violence, including rape, are widespread and practiced openly, with impunity. Despite some efforts to establish rule of law through legislation and international law, commitments to promote gender equality under the law often come to nothing more than rhetoric.
Gender justice is not a different or special system of justice for women but a system that provides both women and men with real access to justice and promotes the full participation of both men and women in the justice sector – without which there can be no real development or genuine rule of law. ILAC´s focus on women’s access to justice and women’s participation in the justice sector is in response to the often extreme disadvantages women currently face in accessing justice in most post-conflict countries.
To address these issues, the Partners for Gender Justice, i.e UNDP, UNIFEM, ILAC, International Association of Women Judges and Brandeis University organized a conference in Accra, Ghana, 19-21 November 2008, with the title The Role of the Judiciary in Promoting Gender Justice in Africa. Financial support for the conference was provided by Sweden and UNDP. This conference, which was hosted by Ghana´s Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Wood, brought together top-level judges from 25 conflict-affected African countries with the United Nations, regional and international experts, NGOs and academia to discuss gender justice in Africa. The conference resulted in regional and local action plans to address gender justice issues facing the judiciary and affecting women’s access to justice.