Happy International Women’s Day! International Women’s Day acknowledges women for their various social, political, economic, and cultural achievements, and recognizes the need for an acceleration in progress towards gender parity. The United Nations enshrines this objective in Sustainable Development Goal 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.” This goal cannot be fully realized without ensuring that women and girls have access to equitable justice, an issue that is also directly relevant to Sustainable Development Goal 16. Women face unique barriers to accessing justice stemming from gender discrimination, as well as educational and economic disadvantages.

As it works to advance the rule of law, the Rule of Law Collaborative recognizes the importance of addressing underlying barriers preventing access to equitable justice for women and girls. In 2018, ROLC held a symposium on Women as Agents of Change in the Rule of Law (view full symposium video here), which explored human rights education for all women, access to justice, good governance, and participation and leadership in the justice sector. The symposium was held in partnership with the University of South Carolina School of Law, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, and the Mary Baskin Waters Annual Lecture Series.