A/HRC/17/30
71.
The Special Rapporteur further encourages legal professionals, lawyers’
associations, civil society organizations and academic institutions worldwide to continue
strengthening avenues of dialogue and exchange of information among judges, lawyers,
prosecutors, auxiliaries of justice, law schools, national human rights institutions and civil
society. She also praises and encourages the continued collaborative efforts of High Courts
at the global and regional levels. In this regard, she welcomes the timely development of
judicial diplomacy50 and encourages legal professionals in general, and High Court
magistrates in particular, to continue working towards legal integration and knowledgesharing across countries, regions and beyond.
72.
In light of the foregoing, the Special Rapporteur wishes to highlight some examples
of initiatives, activities and policies that have been brought to her attention and that reflect
the commitment of stakeholders to the realization of gender equality and the protection of
women’s human rights in the administration of justice. She hopes that these examples will
serve to inspire others in developing a gender-sensitive approach in the administration of
justice at large, contributing to women’s daily enjoyment of human rights worldwide.
A.
Working to improve women’s access to justice
73.
The Special Rapporteur has been encouraged by several initiatives undertaken by
international organizations51 to help States and other stakeholders to improve women’s
access to justice. She commends the mainstreaming of gender in the work of the World
Bank in particular, through its research and development programme Justice for the Poor
(J4P). The gender approach to this programme aims to develop strategies to address gender
inequalities, inter alia, by identifying the underlying concepts and power structures at the
root of women’s exclusion.
74.
She also welcomes the work of the United Nations Development Programme
through its global programme on Rule of Law and Access to Justice. The gender focus of
this global programme includes the protection of women’s human rights and access to legal
services while seeking to improve justice service delivery and enforce the law with
particular attention to the poor.
75.
At the national level, the Special Rapporteur applauds the establishment of legal
information services on the rights of women within the judiciary. This is the case of the
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg where the judiciary provides free information once a week on
family law (divorce and separation); domestic violence; filiation and parental authority;
sexual abuse and discrimination.
B.
Developing a gender-sensitive administration of justice
76.
The Special Rapporteur draws attention to the importance of the various
international and regional human rights mechanisms that remind States of their obligation
to ensure women's access to justice. She especially draws attention to the work of treaty
50
51
Judicial diplomacy is understood as “collaborative action and communication among national courts”.
See Ricardo L. Lorenzetti (President of the Supreme Court of Argentina), Global Governance:
Dialogue between Courts, International Summit of High Courts, Istanbul, Turkey, 1-3 November
2010, p. 1.
See, for example, Report of the Panel on Remedies and Reparations for Victims of Sexual Violence in
the Democratic Republic of Congo to the High Commissioner for Human Rights, March 2011;
Harmful Traditional Practices and Implementation of the Law on Elimination of Violence against
Women in Afghanistan, (Kabul, UNAMA, OHCHR, December 2010).
15
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