On 10th of March, the essay competition “Women in Justice, Women for Justice” winners were announced. Encouraging the students and celebrating this day with them was a joint initiative of the Georgia Office of the Council of Europe, the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, the Association of Women Judges and the High School of Justice. Certificates were awarded to the winners by Court of Appeal judges Tamar Alania, Diana Berikashvili, Maia Tetrauli, Tamar Oniani and the senior officer of the Council of Europe project, Mariam Jajanidze. 30 undergraduate students took part in the competition. Most participants were students of the Law Faculty from universities in different Georgian cities.
The International Day of Women Judges aims to promote the role of women judges in justice system. Accordingly, the main topic of the discussion of students and judges was mainstreaming gender perspectives in legislation and practice. The judges shared examples and cases from their own experiences with the students to provide information how to take a gender-sensitive approach to the civil, administrative and criminal proceedings. The Judges also spoke about the gender stereotypes that still exist in society and are significant barriers for gender equality, as well as preventing access to justice and the implementation of justice.
Ana Mghebrishvili, the head of the Bureau of the Chairman of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals, talks about the importance of the essay competition, the initiative of the Tbilisi Court of Appeals and the importance of sharing experience with students:
"The initiative aims to create a platform where we can discuss women in justice and women for justice with women judges and students. The cooperation was very fruitful, as 30 students from different regions and faculties presented their works, participated in the discussion, and received answers to the questions they were interested in directly from the judges. Therefore, it is important to continue this cooperation and offer students the possibility to participate in such an event every year".
The students participating in the competition responded to the issues discussed at the meeting and talked about the importance of women's representation in the judicial system, which, in turn, affects on women’s access to justice. The students positively assessed the essay competition:
“This competition was quite fruitful, as we got the chance to know practicing judges and lawyers who shared their experience and knowledge with us. For me, the discussion was very handy, because we had the opportunity to ask questions and find out their attitude towards different issues. I want to express my utmost respect to everyone who participated in the event, especially the judges, who do their jobs with great dignity," said Mariam Choladze, a student of the law faculty of Akaki Tsereteli State University.
The meeting was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe’s project - “Promoting an Integrated Approach to End Violence against Women and Enhancing Gender Equality in Georgia".
