She said « There are some social obstacles blocking the way of women from reaching judicial positions. But sometimes, the woman herself also hinders her own advancement. Part of it is personal incentive. Any change in the status of women in our country or in other Arab countries to reach a new position always needs a political decision. »
Tagreed Hikmat – Jordan
Tagreed Hikmat, Judge, International Tribunal for Rwanda, Jordan – Judge Tagreed Hikmat was the first female judge appointed in Jordan in 1996. Since then she has served as an Assistant to the Prosecutor General, Judge in the Court of Appeals, and currently as Judge in the Higher Criminal Court in Amman. In 2003, Judge Hikmat was also the first Arab woman judge to be elected to the International Tribunal for Rwanda. Prior to becoming a judge, she was an attorney representing cases in Jordanian civil and criminal courts for fourteen years, from 1982-1996. Judge Hikmat has also been a teacher in Amman from 1965-1978 and served as the Director of the Educational Institute in Amman until starting her career as an attorney. In addition, Judge Hikmat is a member and chairwoman of a number of Jordanian and international human rights and women’s organizations.
She is the recent recipient of the Distinguished Arab’s Women Award. (See more on Arab judicial forum).
… one of the few female judges in the Arab world, heads a presidential project to reduce domestic violence and sexual and child abuse in Jordan. « It was a very big achievement to say in a loud voice that this problem exists, to raise awareness of it, » she said in an interview in Manama September 16. Judge Hikmat spoke with the Washington File between panel discussions at the Arab Judicial Forum in Bahrain. The United Kingdom is financing a program to train police, prosecutors and judges to recognize and deal with these forms of abuse, which until recently were kept out of public discussion, she said. Judge Hikmat said the sexual abuse of children is an especially sensitive problem, and judicial authorities are adopting new techniques, such as recording the testimonies of children on video, to address it. « By using videotaped testimonies, we are able to spare children the psychological stress of having to repeat their story several times before police, prosecutors, and judges, » she said. (Read the rest of this article on USinfoState).
She is also one of the 1000 women proposed fort the Nobel Peace Price 2005. See there her profile).
Review of Recent Developments in the Situation of Arab Women, May – September 2005. (Read this on ESCWA women).
In some societies, people are not accustomed to seeing women working as lawyers, said Shurooq Zainal, a trainee lawyer in Dubai Courts. « It was something strange for people to see female lawyers following up issues in ministries and police stations. But now people are getting used to it. » Still, certain social norms continue to obstruct women’s path to high positions in the legal field. In some countries, such as Kuwait, where women constitute nearly one-fourth of the 800 registered lawyers, female lawyers hope women will occupy such positions in the future, in spite of the election law, which does not allow women to vote or run for elections. The obstacles are « not legal », said Kawthar Aljouan, Lawyer and Director of Women Development and Training Institute in Kuwait. « The law does not stipulate that women are not allowed to reach higher positions, » she said. « But it might be because of certain social traditions. » Tagreed Hikmat, who became in 1996 the first female judge in Jordan, and who also became last year the first Arab woman to be appointed to the International Tribunal for Rwanda, concurred. … Currently, there are 19 women judges serving in Jordan, and officials express confidence that their number will increase in the near future. Moreover, there are 1,050 practicing female lawyers registered with the Jordanian Bar Association. (Read the whole article on Arab Women Connect).
… Scores of legal professionals from 16 Arab countries will conclude today their discussions on how to enhance women’s participation in the formulation of laws. (Gulf News on Febr. 18, 2004).
1000 moterų – 2005 m. Nobelio taikos premijai – projektas, kurio tikslas – supažindinti pasaulio bendruomenę su įvairiomis moterų veiklos sritimis bei darbais taikos labui. Koordinatorių kolektyvas 20 pasaulio regionų buvo suformuotas per 4 mėn. siekiant nominuoti moteris, veikiančias taikos srityje. Buvo pasiūlyta įtraukti apie 2 000 moterų iš 150 kraštų. 1 000 pavardžių sąrašas sudarytas 2004 spalį. 2005 sausį įvyko oficiali nominacijos kulminacija, kurios metu sąrašas įteiktas Nobelio premijos komitetui Osle. Šiuo metu daugiausiai vietiniai žurnalistai rašo apie 1 000 pasaulio taikai nusipelnusių moterų. Iš biografijų sudaroma knyga, kuri pristatoma kaip keliaujanti paroda ir kaip interaktyvi internetinė plattforma. (wikipedia).
links:
a link in spanish;
and a link in italian.