Linked with our presentation of The International Association of Women Judges IAWJ.
She is one of the 1000 women proposed fort the Nobel Peace Price 2005.
Goes with ‘Assuming Authority‘.
She says: « Being able to help others is a great opportunity and a duty toward the most disempowered among us. I dedicate the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 to the victims of all forms of violence the world over. »
Fatoumata Dembélé Diarra – Mali
She works for the Observatoire des Droits de l’Enfant et de la Femme (ODEF), and for the Fédération Internationale des Femmes des carrières Juridiques (FIFCJ).
Fatoumata obtained a licence in human rights from the University of Dakar in 1971, a master in legal sciences from the national school of administration of Bamako (ENA) in 1974, and a diploma from the national legal school of Paris in 1977. She has done many university courses. She also has a rich career in the Malian judicial world.
After holding several portfolios in the different courts and courses, she finally became head of the national directorate of judicial matters.
It is for that position that the UN summoned her to the Criminal Court in the former Yugoslavia then to the all new CPI (International Criminal Court).
All those who know Fatoumata and all those she approaches, recognize her seriousness, modesty, courage and combativeness. She is never too tired to defend the rights of the women and children. She is a fighter for liberty and never backs away from an obstacle in any fight in which she participates.
Fatoumata Dembélé Diarra (50) was at the heart of the Malian Democratic Movement that opposed the monolithic and dictatorial system of General Moussa Traoré in 1991. At the time of the Sovereign National Lecture of Mali in 1991, Madame Diarra Fatoumata was an expert member of the group of people who contributed to the compilation of fundamental texts of a democratic Mali. She was elected Judge of the International Criminal Court in 2003. Fatoumata Dembélé has served as a member of the National Pilot Committee of the correction of the family code. If the code is adopted this will be a major advance for Mali, which will be obliged to adapt certain of its legal texts to today’s realities.
She was also president of the preparatory national committee of the Beijing Summit on women in 1995. This was a big responsibility for her but gave her the opportunity become familiar with the situation of women in Mali to forward to this international United Nations meeting in the Chinese capital.
Fatoumata was president of the network of NGO support to the Electoral Process in Mali (Network APEM) that has been responsible for non-partisan observation of the different elections in Mali since its creation in 1996. She is therefore a militant supporter of human rights and a determined democrat who has spared no effort so that her country can rise alongside democratic African countries.
Fatoumata has been active in the defense of women’s and children’s rights for more than 20 years. She has informed women of their rights. She has endeavoured to resolve family conflicts by private agreement even though she is a magistrate. She has participated in several national and international meetings on the conflict resolution and the maintainance of peace in Africa. Through her work, she always furthers non-violence and the peaceful resolution of problems and conflicts. (Read this on this 1000 Peace Women Page).
Her civil society positions have included those of Vice-President of the International Federation of Women in Legal Careers (IFWLC), Vice-President of the African Women Jurists’ Federation, President of the Association des Juristes Maliennes (the Malian women jurists’ association) and President of the Observatoire des Droits de la Femme et de l’Enfant (women’s and children’s rights monitoring body).
Judge Diarra has published several articles and carried out several studies including one on three branches of law: family, national and international. Furthermore, she has worked with the ICRC on humanitarian law and with the Agence de la Francophonie (agency for the francophone world) within the framework of the Preparatory Committee on the draft Rules of Procedure and Evidence and on the definition of the Elements of Crimes which fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC. She has taken part in many international forums on women’s and children’s rights. She chaired the Preparatory Committee on the participation of Mali in the Beijing Summit in 1995. (Read more of this article on International Criminal Court).
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