Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.

A sculpted fixture commonly found at courthouses the world over, Lady Justice is a symbolic personification of the judicial system, often depicted wearing a blindfold to represent impartiality. However, as the UN Women website highlights: ‘Justice is not blind. It protects power and continues to rule against women and girls.’

This International Women’s Day, the United Nations is spotlighting the legal disparity between women and men, calling for ‘Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.’

There is not a single country in the world that has full legal equality for women. Women face significant obstacles to accessing justice, hindered by issues that may be economic, societal, political, cultural – or, in many cases, an intersectional combination of multiple barriers.

For women and girls living in or near zones of active conflict, judicial systems are often negligible or non-existent. Also, legal inequality for women fosters a power imbalance beyond the justice system, enabling prejudices that silence victims and allow perpetrators to act with impunity.

We acknowledge that victims of crime often do not have a full awareness of the criminal justice process and the rights they have in it. Our Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) are trained to support survivors of sexual violence through the legal system.  You can find out more here: rctn.org.uk/get-help/practical-emotional-support/

Without the justice system enforcing the rights of women and girls, these rights are only nominal. True justice entails legal systems that are accessible and equitable for women and girls, unbiased enforcement of the law, and structures that ensure survivors of sexual violence are supported rather than silenced.

Photo credit: Bronwen Sharp. Source: Broadway Direct, from Prima Facie by Suzie Miller.