Breaking Barriers: Institute for African Women in Law Launches Bold Gender Equality in Law Campaign (GELC)
ACCRA, Ghana: The Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL), a non-profit organization committed to globally empowering African women in law, has launched its continent-wide Gender Equality in Law Campaign (GELC). The campaign aims to raise awareness about the challenges women face in the legal profession.
The GEL Campaign aims to advocate for institutional and policy reforms to create a more inclusive work environment. This is part of the second phase of IAWL’s Women’s Excellence in Law and Leadership Initiative and builds on findings from IAWL's research on women in law and leadership (WILL Reports, 2023). The reports identified sexual harassment, unequal pay, low promotion opportunities, gender biases, and stereotypes as challenges that significantly hinder women's progress and leadership potential.
The Campaign uses evidence-based research, stakeholder engagement, and public advocacy to ignite policy reforms for equitable and women-inclusive institutional practices and policies that support women’s career development and leadership. Prof. Jarpa Dawuni, Founder of IAWL, shared her thoughts about the campaign:
“Through the Gender Equality in Law Campaign, we hope to create awareness and promote a more inclusive legal industry. The campaign has the following goals: to create awareness about the institutional and structural challenges women face in the legal profession, advocate for policy and practice reforms, and call for the adoption and activation of institutional policies and practices that champion women-inclusive workplace cultures.”
Ms. Adelaide Benneh Prempeh, GELC Ambassador and Managing Partner of B&P Associates, Ghana, also added that “Gender equality is not about giving women a leg-up; it is about creating a level playing field for each individual to have equal opportunity to succeed”.
The campaign promises to unite individuals, organizations, and institutions to join this critical movement toward gender equality in the legal profession. For more information on the Gender Equality in Law Campaign (GELC), visit www.africanwomeninlaw.com/gelc.