The Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL), has today launched reports on empirical findings on Women in Law and Leadership, that aim at enhancing potentials and nurturing leadership.
The Report seeks to create opportunities and build partnerships, in order to build a network of legal professionals, devoted to using the law as a tool for positive societal change and advancement.
The Chief Justice (CJ), Martha Koome, who was in attendance stated that there is an increment in women leadership in the African continent, thus changing the narrative that women cannot be leaders in the Executive, Legislature and Judiciaries.
“In the Kenyan Judiciary, we are keen on advancing the goal of creating an inclusive institution, as championed in the Social Transformation through Access to Justice (STAJ) strategic vision for the Judiciary and other policy documents, that include Gender Mainstreaming Policy and Sexual Harassment Policy,” said the CJ.
Speaking at a Nairobi hotel, Tuesday, the CJ assured that the Judiciary was keen on ensuring that it tackles barriers that hinder women from thriving as employees in the Judiciary and also ensure that there is a suitable environment, where women judges and judicial officers rise to occupy leadership positions.
Koome revealed that the recent statistics in the country on legal professions, show that more female lawyers have been admitted to the Bar compared to male.
IAWL Founder Josphine Dawuni, said that she founded the organisation with the aim of enhancing the capacity of women in law and leadership across Africa, and the African Diaspora.
“As an organisation, we are dedicated to creating more opportunities for women leadership, with the belief that women in positions of authority, can influence and expand access points for their rights and the development of the rule of law, which won’t discriminate against any gender,” added Dawuni.
Ann Williams, who is a former Judge of the United States (US) for the Northern District Court, admitted that the barriers she faced in the US are the same that existed in the African Countries and such decided to partner with IAWL in order to help increase the number of women lawyers and judges across the continent and change the narrative that women cannot be leaders.
She congratulated IAWL for the critical research and comprehensive reports on women attorneys, judges and legal academics in Africa, citing that it is a vital step for helping the African women excel and grow their numbers in legal professions.
IAWL has formed The Gender Equality in Law Campaign (GELC) program, aimed at raising awareness on the challenges that women face and developing solutions and advocacy to address them.
By Maslah Bishar and Sylvia Kavisi
