UIA ratifies a Charter on access to justice for women victims of violence

During the Association's 66th Congress in Dakar, the UIA General Assembly ratified a Charter of Fundamental Principles on access to justice for women victims of violence, presented by UIA's Women's Committee

On October 26, at the end of the Association's General Assembly, UIA formally ratified the Charter of Fundamental Principles on Access to Justice for Women Victims of Violence.

The Charter had been proclaimed in Paris on March 8, 2022, by the UIA Women’s Committee, chaired by Mrs. Elisabeth Zakharia Sioufi, following the seminar organized jointly with the French Conseil national des Barreaux (CNB) and with the participation of the European Bar Federation (FBE), on the occasion of International Women's Rights Day.

With this Charter, the UIA and the UIA Women’s Committee reaffirms their commitment to support the cause of women around the world and calls on Bars and lawyers to play a fundamental and a key role in supporting women victims of violence by providing them with the appropriate and qualified protection and legal assistance they are looking for, but also as actors in raising awareness about this issue among the general public.

The Charter stipulates, in particular, that "Women victims of violence have the right to an unhindered and easy access to justice as well as to an effective remedy for the harm they have suffered. They are entitled to competent and highly qualified legal services and representation during judicial proceedings and to legal aid if they lack sufficient means. They must always be treated with respect of their dignity and their privacy and protected from repeated violence."

Since its proclamation, bars and lawyers' associations from all over the world have communicated their support for the principles and commitments set forth in the Charter, which remains open to new members. 

Dowload the charter

Dowload the charter