On 10 March, the International Day of Women Judges, the European Judicial Training Network hosted together with its members and partners an insightful online conference titled ‘Gender Equality in Justice: How to Achieve it Through Training’. 

High-level speakers from European and international organisation as well as from several EJTN member institutions shared their experiences and insights on how to support gender equality within the judiciary. While the European judiciary is predominantly feminine men tend to occupy more of the leading position, and gender biases remain.  

The online conference gathered together a total of 260 participants, including judges and other justice practitioners from 45 different countries around the world to discuss and identify opportunities for judicial training that promote gender equality in justice. 

This event contributed to fostering a common judicial culture and promoting equal opportunities and transparency in European judicial systems. 

Conference highlights 

Judge Maria Lourdes Arastey Sahún, President of the Fifth Chamber of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), opened the discussion by exploring the historical and sociological roots of gender inequality in the judiciary. Framing the issue from a multidisciplinary perspective, she highlighted the persistent gap between men and women in positions of responsibility. According to her, gender equality can’t be simply decreed but must be embedded within the justice system through changes in habits and outdated preferences. Achieving this requires a high degree of transparency in selection and appointment processes. In her view, considering women in the judiciary as “exceptions” in the 21st century is unacceptable.  

“Equality is not achieved because it is normatively decided (…) Equality can’t be formal, it has to be real,” she stated.

Representing the Council of Europe, Anca Sandescu presented the institution’s training initiatives to promote gender equality across various European legal systems, notably through the HELP Programme. She emphasized gender equality as the core value that guides the Council’s long-term strategic objectives and pointed out that beyond representation, gender equality involves addressing the obstacles women face in accessing justice. 

In her intervention, Justice Sonya Djemni-Wagner outlined the tools which are available through the  European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ). She also shared concrete examples of gender inequality from her own career in France and shared her involvement with Femmes de Justice, a French association that advocates for gender equality in justice. Underscoring that gender equality is not only a women’s issue, she highlighted the need for preventive measures targeting men to avoid counterproductive outcomes. 

“There were a lot of situations in my career where I found myself being the only woman in the meeting,” she remarked. 

During the conference’s roundtable format, representatives from EJTN Members – Judge Margreet Blaisse (Board Member of the Dutch Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary), Professor Silvana Sciarra (President of the Italian School for the Judiciary), Judge Miglena Tacheva (Director of the National Institute of Justice of Bulgaria), and Judge Fernando Vas Ventura (Director of the Centre for Judicial Studies of Portugal – shared examples of how gender equality issues have been addressed within their respective justice systems. They also described the ways their own institutions support women’s professional advancement within the judiciary. The discussion emphasized the commitment of the ETJN Members to foster gender equality as well as the unique support the Network can provide on this matter. 

“There is still a lot of work to do (…) to provide for equal opportunities,” said Judge Blaisse. However, she concluded on a hopeful note: “We can all contribute to this, and we all want to be part of it.” 

Providing an international perspective, Justice Adèle Kent shared her experiences as a Canadian judge and as President of the International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT). She emphasized that while challenges differ between common law and civil law systems, the fight against outdated ideas and resistance to regression is crucial for advancing gender equality. Expanding opportunities for women to become judges and leaders requires strong leadership itself, she noted. 

Tatiana Veress presented the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) mentorship programme, which supports gender equality at various stages of women’s careers through continuous mentorship. She identified three key lessons from the programme:  

• mentors provide both guidance and empathy, fostering understanding and reducing the fear of judgment;  

• the dialogue between mentor and mentee is mutually enriching, offering fresh perspectives and renewed energy;  

• and the collective power of a community can drive change more effectively than individual actions. 

The conference concluded with remarks from Professor Piotr Girdwoyn (Director of the National School of Judiciary and Public Prosecution of Poland), who summarised the event and highlighted the concrete actions and training programmes his institution has implemented to promote gender equality and transparency in selection processes. 

EJTN sincerely thanks all speakers for their invaluable contributions to this engaging and thought-provoking discussion, as well as the European Commission for their continued financial support in realising impactful activities and initiatives in the field of judicial training.

The EJTN Members, Associate Members and Observers can access a recording of this conference on the EJTN Intranet. 

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