Women and girls are at the forefront of transformative action for justice, building a world that works better for everyone. Societies with higher levels of gender equality are also characterised by less deforestation and air pollution, lower levels of conflict, and improved health of communities. Despite this, women remain underrepresented in decision-making, and are often portrayed as passive victims of conflict and climate change rather than holders of diverse knowledge and skills. In this HagueTalks, three women on the frontlines for justice will tell their personal stories of defending freedom of speech, fighting climate in justice, and tackling gender-based violence.

This HagueTalks event will take place during the Hague Justice Week 2022 and is part of the World Justice Forum “offsite sessions” program.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

• Camila de la Fuente (Camdelafu) from Mexico will speak about online harassment. Camila promotes human rights through art, including as part of  the Cartooning For Peace’s international educational program “Drawing Peace and Democracy” and giving workshops in prisons in Mexico. She received the 2020 International Women Cartoonist Youth Award and was a finalist in the first Biennial of Illustration organized by Pictoline in 2018.
• Grace Acan – a survivor and one of the founding members of SEMA- The Global Network of Victims and Survivors to End Wartime Sexual Violence. She will speak about her fight for justice for girls who were abducted in war. Grace spent eight years as a captive of Ugandan rebels, an experience she wrote about in her 2018 book, Not Yet Sunset. Now she supports survivors of war in rebuilding their lives and obtaining reparation and justice.
• Jane Meriwas of Samburu Women Trust in Kenya will speak about women and climate justice. As an indigenous leader she speaks first hand about empowering women to participate in decision-making on land, natural resources policies that affect the Samburu people; to better understand and defend their environmental, social and cultural rights. Jane currently holds a fellowship with OHCHR’s Minorities program.

Event moderator is Raluca POPA. She has worked for almost 20 years to promote gender equality and advocate for ending violence against women and girls in various capacities: as a researcher, gender advisor with UN Women and the Council of Europe and, currently, gender and law specialist with IDLO. Event opening remarks are by Jan Beagle, Director General of IDLO.

The event is co-organised by IDLO, World Justice Forum and Hague project Peace and Justice an initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Municipality of the Hague.

The event will be followed by the opening of the Exhibition ‘Resilience. Stories of women inspiring change’ at 5.00 pm in the Atrium of City Hall The Hague. There will be drinks and room for informal conversation with the speakers so please join!