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Female Judges Gain Ground in Jordan
FrontLines - June 2010
By George Kara'a and Jan Cartwright
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Judge Nawal AlJohari manages her court cases at the Amman
First Instance Court.
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AMMAN, Jordan— Judge
Ihsan Barakat, the first female
judge to head an appeals court in
Jordan, has seen a sea change in
her profession in recent years.
Although women have long
served as lawyers, they have
only served as judges since
1996. Today, 45 of the country’s
750 judges are women, and 140
women judges are expected by
2011.
The growth in the number of
female judges can be traced to
the Jordanian government’s
strong support for women’s participation
in the legal profession,
as well as support from donors.
In late 2006, USAID helped
the Jordanian judiciary establish
a streamlined, merit-based judicial
appointment system to
replace the old system, which
was cumbersome and inefficient. Over the past year, the number of women admitted to the Judicial Institute of Jordan (JIJ),
the center where all judges
are trained, increased from 3 percent to 65 percent of total admissions.
“Women have been able to prove themselves as judges,” said Judge Barakat.
“They are efficient, serious, and resistant to corruption. With the newcomers, the overall performance of the judiciary will be enhanced, and I fully expect that women will obtain even higher positions in the near future.”
| Today, 45 of the country’s
750 judges are women, and 140 women judges are expected by 2011. |
She said that since entry barriers have been removed, there should be no obstacles for other women wishing to pursue a career in the judiciary as they have proven themselves through the entry process and as judges.
Judge Rateb Wazani, the chief justice of Jordan, said the new admissions policy at the JIJ will increase the percentage of women judges from the current level of 5 percent of sitting judges to 15 percent of all judges in just three years.
This advancement toward gender equality on the bench is complemented by two other USAID programs: the Woman-to-Woman mentoring program and the Future Judges program.
Woman-to-Woman, established by USAID with the Jordanian judiciary, pairs 25 female law students with sitting female judges to support the students as they prepare for their future positions as lawyers and judges in the male dominated judiciary.
“My mentor served as a role model for me with her humility and eagerness to offer assistance,” said Saly Al Mouasher, a student from Jordan University. “She exemplified will-power, self-confidence, and determination. I learned from her that with persistence and perseverance, women can assume the most prominent positions.”
The Future Judges program is an initiative of King Abdullah II and the Ministry of Justice to recruit top students to pursue legal degrees and eventually become judges. USAID has supported the program by developing the gender-neutral recruitment process and administration systems for the program, which resulted in women making up more than 50 percent of the program’s 100 admissions each year.
★
FrontLines is published
by the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
U.S. Agency for International Development
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Material should be submitted
by mail to Editor, FrontLines, USAID,
RRB, Suite 6.10, Washington, DC 20523-6100;
by FAX to 202-216-3035; or by e-mail to frontlines@usaid.gov
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