15th January 2019 - Cairo, Egypt
UNODC concluded, for the first time, a national workshop in Egypt on "Judicial Challenges and Responses in the field of Violence against Women". In the presence of Assistant Minister of Justice for the Center of Judicial Studies and the Assistant Minister of Justice for the Department of Human Rights, Women and Children. 25 Egyptian judges, participated in this workshop, where the newly produced manual for judges titled "Judges' Standards for Handling Crimes of Violence Against Women" was introduced.
The workshop focused on discussing the legal framework for combating violence against women with reference to international instruments, and relevant provisions in the Egyptian Penal Code, in addition to the practical challenges related to sentencing cases of violence against women. The sessions were conducted by UNODC expert and guest speakers from the Egyptian Ministry of Justice. International expert, Judge Jorge Luis Fernández Vaquero, who has been working on Violence against Women for the past 11 years in Spain, presented the justice system in Spain outlining the evolution of the system and the challenges that led to the establishment of the specialized Violence against Women Courts within the Spanish Judicial System, he also shared practical experiences on real cases handled by the Spanish courts.
Participating judges interactively engaged during the sessions and open discussions, exploring the ways in which they can adopt a victim centered approach ensuring the protection of women survivors during the judicial procedures, with reference to the Spanish model and to what is currently available in the Egyptian legal framework.
This workshop was conducted under the United Nations Joint Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence that is being implemented in partnership with UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women and WHO, with the financial support of Australia and Spain.
