International Day of Women Judges

On March 10th ,  International Day of Women Judges , we celebrate the efforts to advance gender equality in our judicial system. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #IDWJ2025

Promoting a culture of lawfulness . Integrity is among the core values expected of every judiciary and every judge, serving as a key ingredient in the successful fight against corruption. The monthly Global Judicial Integrity Network Podcast Series features interviews with judges and international judicial experts on a variety of topics related to judicial integrity . Please note that the episodes below are listed chronologically and sorted by language. English subtitles are available for all non-English podcasts .

In March 2024, UNODC launched a mentorship programme under the Women in Justice – Women for Justice initiative , which provides women in anti-corruption law enforcement and the judiciary with mentorship, practical leadership guidance and global networking. By s upporting their professional growth , the initiative aims to strengthen and advance gender-responsive justice .

Women in the criminal justice system can act as agents of change. Diversity and inclusion enrich all institutions and contribute to greater accountability. Women judges bring different perspectives and experiences, strengthening judicial systems . Women in leadership roles help disrupt networks of collusion, striking a blow against corruption. Women’s representation in law enforcement and judicial institutions has been linked to more effective, victim-centred responses to crime. The number of women and girls coming into contact with the criminal justice system, as victims, witnesses and prisoners, has increased in the past 20 years. However, greater efforts are still needed to support women to access justice and ensure that criminal justice institutions fully respond to their needs. By investing in women’s advancement and women justice leaders , we can help ensure that justice is better served and that women and all members of our societies are met with fairness and equality b...

  In the judiciary system , the women play a very special role. It is not about the equality only, it goes beyond that. In all judiciaries, at national and international courts, judges interpret the law, they decide about others. To be a good judge, it is never sufficient enough to know the law well. In fact, excellent knowledge of the law is an obvious prerequisite for a solid judicial performance . However, we judges should be endowed with something else as well, something that we call a sense for justice, a sense for fairness . We all may define this sense in a slightly different way. Understanding this sense reflects our education, our career and life experience. It also reflects our perspective. It is one of the most important features that brings an essential balance to the judicial decision-making processes .

This month, the Commonwealth joined the international community to mark the inaugural International Day of Women Judges on March 10th . It is a day designated by the United Nations to promote women’s full and equal participation at all levels of the judiciary. On this day and more generally throughout the year, we celebrate women’s contribution to the judiciary and raise awareness of the challenges faced by women in the legal sector. Progress made but still a long way to go Women’s representation in the judiciary has come a long way, but it remains far from being equal to that of men. Historically, the judiciary has been a male-dominated field, with women facing significant barriers to entry and promotion. In recent years, there has been an increase in women’s representation, resulting in more women qualifying as lawyers and being appointed to judicial positions. For instance, in Rwanda, nearly half of all judges are women. And there have been positive developments in women’s represen...

Historically, the legal profession was not considered suitable for women. As time progressed, so did women and today women enter this profession of choice. However, there are still not enough women in the judiciar y and certainly not enough women in the superior judiciary . This paradigm must change. In the process of administration of justice and writing judgments, judges have an important role, as judicial decisions have a wide and deep impact on social constructs, social order and systematic inequalities that prevail in the system. When judges interpret and implement the law , their reasons and opinions are a reflection of their thought process, an insight into their perceptions. These perceptions in the very least must be representative of both men and women on the bench so as to ensure a fair and adequate response through judicial decisions. It is important to note that including women in the judiciary is not simply about ensuring that her perception is relevant to resolving cas...

  Panel discussions  with IAWJ Members and Participants.

  Violence against women and girls is a widespread and serious violation of human rights that has severe physical, psychological, emotional and social consequences. The process of bringing a complaint into the criminal justice system can be a difficult and traumatizing experience for many victims for different reasons. Gender bias and discrimination fuel myths around such violence which shape the criminal justice response to these crimes. Many victims never report their victimization or they have been filtered out of the criminal justice system, resulting in low charge and conviction rates. A victim’s decision to report gender-based violence and continue within the criminal justice system is one of the most important factors affecting the prosecution of cases. The way in which the criminal justice professionals initially respond to victims is critical in determining whether a victim chooses to participate in further legal action, or abandons it because she has experienced seconda...

This paper aims to examine the ways in which gender-related issues may affect judicial integrity and the adequacy of existing safeguards in promoting appropriate conduct and taking corrective action with respect to inappropriate conduct . That inquiry begins with consideration of the term gender-related integrity issues and the ways in which gender plays a role in the integrity of judicial conduct and decision-making, court administration, and public perceptions of the judiciary. Read the full Paper on Gender-Related Judicial Integrity Issues of the Global Judicial Integrity Network in English , in  French and in Spanish .