Gender Equality Policies

A historic step forward for justice and equality in #Lebanon The appointment of 50% women to the Judicial Council (مجلس عدلي) is more than just a symbolic milestone, it is a concrete reflection of the reality within our judicial corps, where women already make up over half of its members. This decision marks real progress toward genuine #GenderEquality in #Leadership, ensuring that women’s voices and perspectives are represented at the highest levels of justice. It also stands as recognition of the dedication, competence, and professionalism that women have consistently brought to the judiciary, along with the efforts of gender-sensitive advisors like Lara Saade, who have worked to advance gender mainstreaming within our institutions. While this is a significant achievement, it must be only the beginning. Hoping that this momentum continues, paving the way for greater representation of women across all levels of leadership in Lebanon: in the judiciary, in public institutions, and in decision-making positions that shape the future of our country. Equality in leadership is not just fairness, it is strength. #WomenonBoards National Commission for Lebanese Women NCLW

Very recently, the Supreme Court of Pakistan upheld the right of a married female civil servant to change her domicile once during service for the purpose of direct recruitment. In a judgment grounded in constitutional values and gender equality, the Court held that a woman’s legal identity is not automatically tied to that of her husband. The Court powerfully observed: “A married woman retains the legal discretion, choice or agency to either adopt her husband’s domicile or retain her own.” Rejecting outdated doctrines of dependency, the Court interpreted service law through a gender-sensitive and purposive lens, aligning its reasoning with Pakistan’s constitutional guarantees under Articles 25(3), 34, and 35 of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973 and its international obligations. Crucially, the judgment reaffirms the Supreme Court’s role as the conscience of the Constitution, not merely a forum for legal adjudication, but a living institution that must respond to the realities and aspirations of society. Its judges are not passive interpreters of text, but custodians of liberty, equality, and institutional independence. Honoured to have assisted Hon'ble Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah in advancing a more equitable and inclusive interpretation of service law, one that recognizes women as full constitutional citizens, endowed with agency, dignity and choice.

The European Court of Human Rights / Cour européenne des droits de l'homme has recently delivered a novel and significant judgment in Ortega Ortega v Spain. The case arose from the applicant’s allegation of sex discrimination on the basis that she received lower remuneration than male colleagues performing comparable work. In the course of pursuing this claim, the applicant was dismissed for disclosing the salaries of her colleagues. Although she succeeded in the discrimination proceedings, she was unsuccessful in the parallel unfair dismissal claim. This created a paradox: an employee can establish discrimination only by disclosing comparator information, yet doing so exposes them to dismissal—while withholding the information renders the discrimination claim unwinnable. The Court broke this vicious circle by carefully balancing the privacy rights of the colleagues whose data had been disclosed against the applicant’s right to an effective remedy for discrimination. It examined, in particular, the limited extent of the disclosure (confined to those involved in the internal complaint) and the absence of any adverse consequences for the individuals concerned. The Court ultimately found that Spain had failed to comply with its positive obligations under Articles 14 in conjunction with Article 8 of the Convention. https://lnkd.in/eG3rmehp

A very welcome and progressive judgment by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, one that reaffirms women’s dignity, autonomy, and equality before the law. In Dr. Seema Hanif Khan v. Waqas Khan (CPLA No. 3268/2024), authored by Justice Ayesha A. Malik, the Court set aside lower court rulings that had wrongly granted khula without the wife’s consent, depriving her of her dower and maintenance and instead dissolved the marriage on legal grounds. Key takeaways: 🔹 Khula cannot be imposed,it must be a woman’s free and informed choice. 🔹 Cruelty includes emotional, mental, and physical abuse, assessed on a balance of probabilities, not strict criminal proof. 🔹 A second marriage without the first wife’s consent is a valid ground for dissolution under the law. 🔹 Maintenance is a husband’s statutory obligation, it cannot be denied for being “career-oriented” or “disobedient.” 🔹 The Court also cautioned against patriarchal language and stereotypes in judicial reasoning, emphasizing women’s constitutional rights to dignity and equality. A landmark ruling that sets a strong precedent for gender-sensitive justice and reinforces that the law must not only protect rights but also respect personhood.

A momentous day in the Egyptian history: August 26, 2025. The dream that finally came true. Since Jan 2014, and for years leading to this day, Her Honor Setting The Bar began its work of litigation, legal advocacy, and community mobilization, campaigning, raising awareness about the cause and its implications. Congratulations to Egyptian society at large, to Egyptian women in particular, and to female law graduates most specifically. It took me 12 years of relentless effort by Her Honor Setting The Bar—with over 23 lawsuits filed by Her Honor Setting The Bar on behalf of other female graduates from different Egyptian cities—to witness the Constitution and the law applied and to end one form of discrimination in the Egyptian society. This was preceded by attempts since the fourties of the last century (1949) to demand the right of Egyptian women to assume judicial positions. These efforts contributed to breaking down the formidable wall of discrimination that had blatantly disregarded international treaties, the Constitution, and the law; overthrown the principle of the rule of law, legality; and prevailed societal considerations, personal preferneces and interests, considerations of suitability, and discretionary power without any legitimate basis, trampling on the rule of law and citizenship. But in the end, truth prevails. This brings the total number of female judges to date to 183 in the State Council and 128 in the ordinary judiciary (a total of 311 sitting female judges), along with 168 female public prosecutors (standing judiciary), making a total of 479 women out of approximately 22,000 judges, according to the latest statements in 2021—a proportion of just 2.1% to date. For the first time in history, Egyptian women will assume judicial roles and ascend the bench through the natural path of appointment, not the exceptional/abnormal/ceserean path—being transferred from the Administrative Prosecution or the State Litigation Authority—which entrenched other forms of discrimination more than it resolved. Even after this decision, the percentage of female judges in Egyptian courts remains at 2%, a token figure rather than true representation of women on the judicial bench. This explains Egypt's continued lag in international annual reports, including the Global Gender Gap Report, Women, Business and Law Report, and others. Despite unprecedented steps, these victories remain ineffective on a macro level, unorchestrated, and it is still difficult to measure the impact of Egyptian female judges on society or the judiciary "because their percentage is negligible/more of an image than actual appointment. No right is ever lost since someone strives to claim it, and no nation is lost that holds its constitution and the rights of its citizens in high regard. #HerHonorSettingTheBar ‎#المنصة_حقها