Please save the date for our international conference, “Gender and Justice: Theory and practice across contexts,” to be held on 28-31 October 2019 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Over the past decade, we have witnessed significant progress when it comes to the rights of women and to gender equality in the professional and private lives of women. This progress is encouraged and supported by international conventions and global commitments to gender equality, especially to ending violence against women. Yet, there is serious concern that these efforts have not adequately translated into justice for gender-based crimes and discrimination. Too frequently, the excuse is made that cases of gender-based violence, especially rape and sexual harassment, are hard to prove; but this strips victims of their right to justice and leaves perpetrators unpunished. Meanwhile, domestic violence affects some 30% of women and girls worldwide.

Research shows that gender biases, both implicit and explicit, play a significant role in preventing justice sector professionals from sufficiently understanding and addressing gender inequalities and gender-based violence. These biases can also intersect with others, so that people of colour, individuals with minority status, disabled women and men, and members of the LGBTQ community are especially vulnerable to the impact of gender biases; yet, these individuals are often most overlooked in research and civil society programming. In addition, a resurgence of the political right in recent years as well as a renewed fundamentalism in both religious and cultural norms are detrimental to efforts towards gender equality.

This interdisciplinary conference seeks to explore justice and gender in different contexts and provide space for participants to share challenges and progress in this area, as well as research and good practices. The conference is envisioned as an exchange of theory and practice, producing valuable inputs for judicial professionals, but also for civil society organisations, academics, and researchers from a wide variety of backgrounds, beyond the law, given the myriad fields concerned with the intersection of gender equality and justice. As such, we welcome papers and presentation proposals from scholars and practitioners across a spectrum of disciplines, including but not limited to: law, anthropology, criminology, education, ethnic studies, gender studies, political science, psychology, public policy, social work, and sociology. Cross-cultural and cross-regional comparisons are expected and welcome.

SAMPLE TOPICS INCLUDE:

  • Recent changes in the processing and sentencing in domestic violence cases
  • Sexual harassment and justice past the MeToo movement
  • Professional decision-making: impartiality versus biases
  • Social media as a site of gender-based violence and gender justice
  • The evolving discourse on consent, power, and complicity
  • Perspectives on property rights, labour rights, and parenthood in times of economic uncertainty
  • Gender inequalities in divorce and child custody rights
  • Intersectionalities, justice, and gender

Please submit abstracts by 22 July 2019 at conference@atlantskainicijativa.org The abstract needs to contain approximately 300-500 words.

This conference is supported by the Government of Sweden and is offered with no conference fee. Accommodation and transport will be provided to key presenters, to be determined based on the diversity of contexts and topics submitted.

International conference, “Gender and Justice: Theory and practice across contexts” – Download .PDF (1Mb)

Source: Atlantic initiative