Breaking Barriers

Women Lawyers Campaign

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Why this campaign?

Women lawyers are essential to ensuring access to justice. Around the world, they are at the forefront of cases involving women’s rights, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive rights. Yet this vital work often comes at a high personal and professional cost.
Lawyers face intimidation, harassment, and even life-threatening risks simply for doing their jobs.

For women lawyers, these dangers are compounded by gender-based discrimination, stigma, and sexist attacks that undermine their credibility and professional standing. These risks are further intensified by systemic inequalities within the legal profession, including underrepresentation in leadership and the unequal burden of unpaid care work.

The problem is when we handle cases concerning women’s issues. There is a real possibility we will be personally — both verbally and physically — attacked.

Strategies

This campaign follows a dual approach: promoting the protection and recognition of lawyers’ crucial role in advancing LGBTQIA+ rights, while also advocating for those rights themselves. The campaign seeks to express solidarity with these courageous lawyers, especially by offering recognition and encouragement to younger generations of lawyers, who may be hesitant to take on these cases due to concerns over reputation or security. By highlighting stories of how they have risked their stability and safety to defend a marginalised group, the report aims to inspire other lawyers to engage in these activities as well, to ensure the access to justice for all individuals.