Call for more women in Justice Sector
BY BEN BILUA
JUSTICE Maelyn Bird has encouraged women and girls to pursue judicial path as part of promoting gender quality in the country.
She said the justice sector has been a male dominated profession until recently when few women broke the deadlock.
“The justice system has traditionally been seen as a male dominated area.
“However, we are seeing more and more women coming to the justice sector, in a range of different roles, including lawyers, administrators, and judicial officers,” Justice Bird said.
She said the justice system has a fundamental role to play in our country’s efforts to promote gender equality and putting more women in the job will make a difference.
“Increasing the participation of women in the justice sector, including at senior levels can make an important contribution to the goal of gender equality.
“I see the justice sector as having a fundamental role to play in addressing one of the key impediments to gender equality, and that is the prevalence of sexual and family violence,” Justice Bird said.
On that note, she calls on the people of Solomon Islands to recognise and acknowledge women’s contribution to the operation of the justice sector at all levels, and across all the different arms of the justice sector, whether it be prosecutions, legal aid, law reform, legislative drafting, as well as the critical services provided by the police, corrections, and front-line service providers for victims of sexual and family violence.
“I see so many sisters in the legal profession showing, on a daily basis, in the course of their work the discipline, commitment and ability to manage multiple complex matters that are fundamental skills to those on the bench,” Justice Bird said.
