KRALENDIJK – The Joint Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint-Maarten and of Bonaire, Sint-Eustatius and Saba can and wants to be an example for women in the judiciary. The Court has had female Presidents, and half of the judges at the Court are now women.

The representation of women in the judiciary is important for many reasons. Not only does it ensure that the judiciary is developed to reflect and be recognized by society, but it also inspires the current and next generation of women judges and other women in society.

International Day of Women Judges

The United Nations has declared 10 March 2022 the first International Day of Women Judges. On this day, attention was paid – and will be paid every year on 10 March from now on – worldwide to the equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary. Alma Zadić, Minister of Justice of Austria, launching this new initiative to promote representation and gender-responsive criminal justice says: “We know from numerous studies that diversity strengthens the judiciary. It reduces stereotypes and implicit biases, and takes into account also different perspectives. This is a strong signal for more women in the judiciary – worldwide. Women in Justice/for Justice on the first International Day of Women Judges is therefore an important UNODC initiative to promote gender equality and responsiveness within the judiciary.”