Female judges drawn from the High Court, Customary Court of Appeal, Magistrate Court and Area Court have called for a more deliberate, inclusive, and gender-responsive judiciary
They made the call on Wednesday in Lokoja during a consultative meeting.
The meeting was with theme: “Breaking Barriers: Understanding Women’s Career Progression and Leadership Pathways in the Judiciary,” focused on challenges affecting women’s advancement within Nigeria’s judicial system and explored possible reforms.
Speaking at the session, Mrs Eliana Martins, Country Vice/National President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), said dialogue on strengthening women’s inclusion and advancement in the judiciary through institutional reforms had become necessary.
Martins, who was represented by Justice Rekiya Ojoma, said the forum provided an opportunity to examine the barriers and experiences faced by women judicial officers in their careers.
The discussions, she said, covered issues relating to entry point into the judiciary, retention, career progression, workplace wellbeing and access to leadership positions, while also advancing gender equality within the institution.
She noted that inspite of progress recorded since Nigeria’s independence and the increasing participation of women in the legal education and professional practice, structural gender imbalance within the judiciary still persists.
Martins stated that women remained grossly underrepresented in the nation’s judiciary, citing the Supreme Court where only four out of the 13 justices were women.
The dialogue, she said, co-sponsored by Co-Impact and FIDA, was described as a critical step toward promoting evidence-based reforms that are inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs of women judicial officers.
Also speaking, Mr Fiki Obaro, Senior Programme Manager at FIDA, said the organization hopes the judiciary would see the engagement as an important step toward improving the lives and careers of women in the profession.
He added that the session was designed to encourage greater representation of women in leadership positions and urged participants to openly share their experiences to help identify and address systemic challenges.
In her remarks, the Chairperson of FIDA in Kogi, Mrs Oluwakemi Usman said the meeting was organized to examine the experiences of women in the judiciary and gather data that would help shape practical solutions.
Judges at the session identified several challenges affecting women judicial officers, including the absence of uniform criteria for promotions, lack of official approval for continuing legal education and zoning patterns perceived to disadvantage some ethnic groups.
They called for a more inclusive judiciary and advocated the adoption of remote and virtual court hearings to encourage flexible work arrangements, particularly for pregnant and nursing mothers.(NAN)
