Underpinning an effective judicial response to gender-based violence against women and girls.
“[W]hile there has been a marked ideological shift in the ways Judges adjudicate matters relating to gender-based violence and femicide in recent times … the fate of these victims should not be left to the off-chance that the individual Judges hearing their cases will be attuned to the sensitivities. There should be a formalization and standardization of these norms so that it is incumbent on the Courts to pay particular attention to the treatment of victims in these cases.” Conceptual framework underpinning an effective judicial response to gender-based violence against women and girls Part one: “Judges do not enter public office as ideological virgins. They ascend the Bench with a built-in and often strongly-held set of values, preconceptions, opinions and prejudices. These are inevitably expressed in the decisions they give, constituting ‘inarticulate premises’ in the process of judicial reasoning.” Summary: While the role of the judiciary in criminal proceedings varies ...