On 17 September 2024, at the third Steering Committee meeting of the regional action “Women’s access to justice in the Western Balkans”, project partners and other stakeholders analysed the lessons learned and successes from its pioneering Mentoring programme for legal professionals aimed at improving women's access to justice. This methodology, running since December 2023 is equipping justice professionals- judges and prosecutors- with tools to champion gender equality and incorporate international and European human rights standards into their daily practice.

During the discussions a recurring theme emerged: how to best mobilise legal professionals to take a more active role in countering the structural barriers women face when accessing justice. Legal professionals are key players in dismantling obstacles such as ingrained gender biases, limited access of women to legal aid, and gaps in gender-sensitive legal training. These issues are human rights concerns, directly impacting women's ability to access justice equitably. With the legal professional’s active engagement, they can bridge the gap between the legislative and policy frameworks and the actual women’s experience through the justice chain.

Participants further discussed strategies to encourage the legal community in the Western Balkans to integrate Council of Europe human rights frameworks, including the Istanbul Convention, into domestic practice.

The Steering Committee meeting was held in the framework of the European Union and the Council of Europe joint programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. It builds on practical resources for legal professionals developed under previous Council of Europe  initiatives on the topic of strengthening women’s access to justice.