Background

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the UN Charter, UN Women promotes the advancement of human rights and gender equality is at the heart of UN Women’s work globally. A major element of its operational work is on access to justice, working within the international, regional and domestic justice systems for the articulation of normative standards and implementation of laws and policies eliminate direct and indirect forms of discrimination.

Based in Barbados, the UN Women MCO-Caribbean covers all of the English and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, including the British and Dutch Overseas Territories.

Across the Caribbean region there have been significant achievements in eliminating discrimination embedded in laws and policies. Yet gender inequality persists in the culture and in the practices of both state and non-state actors. Women continue to experience inequality in the labour market, with higher unemployment levels despite educational advancements; suffer pay inequity in private sector; in key sectors, remain segmented in the lowest paying jobs; have very limited participation in elective parliamentary processes; carry the disproportionate burden of care for children and experience high levels of gender-based violence.

Gender disparities, even when not caused by exclusion or discriminatory treatment, can also be harmful for men and boys as dominant notions of masculinity can contribute to higher levels of educational under-achievement, vulnerability to involvement in the informal and illegal economy and criminal or counter-culture activity.

In several sociological and anthropological studies undertaken on courts in the Caribbean, deficits such as unpredictability in the application of legal principles, delay, and unresponsiveness to the social realities of litigants (child care, employment) before the court have been highlighted. Where the studies have looked at issues such as domestic violence and family law, (in particular child support), what is asserted is that these challenges are nuanced by gender both in causative or contributing factors as well as in outcomes. In addition, of concern is the fact that domestic violence cases are often dealt with in the same courtrooms where criminal matters are heard. Both Applicant and Respondent are often seated in the same waiting area until their case is called and it is not uncommon to hear complaints of intimidatory tactics prior to the in camera hearing.

Gender stereotypes about women’s and men’s roles influence judicial decision-making and perpetuate women’s marginalisation and constraining gender roles for men even where this may not be consciously understood by the judicial decision maker.  Some examples of such gendered judicial making include: the courts’ failures to take account the asymmetrical responsibility of care women experience in the family as with exceedingly inadequate child support orders; judicial propensities to allow such cases to linger in the court system without even interim orders; or hesitance to exercise the full range of judicial powers in domestic and sexual violence cases. Also women who flee situations of domestic violence can be particularly disadvantaged in cases of child custody, because often their economic circumstances are a factor in determining the issue of custody of children in favour of the abuser.  Similarly, there are some who believe men to be at a distinct disadvantage in the family courts when seeking access to their children of tender years, particularly girls.

Gendered judicial making which reinforces restrictive and harmful notions of masculinity can also be seen in the treatment of juvenile offenders, (most of whom are boys and young men) where such treatment does not take adequate account of the developmental stages of children and the familial or social environment within which children live.

Such gender-influenced judicial decision-making is not unexpected given that gender socialisation is experienced by everyone. Its influences on the functioning and behaviour of court personnel can be hard to avoid, particularly when such socialisation reproduces acceptance or tolerance of rigid gender roles and unequal power relations between women and men.

It is for such reasons that there is now an appreciation of the need for gender protocols for actors within the administration of justice as well as further attention to building the understanding of the judiciary of the socio-cultural context within which the court functions. Those calls acknowledge that access to justice can be enhanced where decision makers are aware of or sensitive to, the gendered realities of the lives of those who seek the protections and remedies that the law offers.  In addition, gender-responsive reforms aimed at improving access to justice should be grounded in international standards such as Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and must take account of the differential responsibilities, needs and interests and access to resources of persons who invoke legal process. Employing gender analysis, the justice sector has a two part of obligation: to ensure a) equality of opportunity in access to the courts and b) equitable outcomes.

In 2011, the UN Women flagship publication: Progress of the World’s Women focused on access to justice: “In Pursuit of Justice”. The UN Women Multi-Caribbean Office - Caribbean has over a decade of experience in the area of improved access to justice by women, in partnership with the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers, the Carribean Court of Justice, National Judicial systems throughout CARICOM, and the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative and the direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the intern will be contracted to complete the following:

• Collaborate with the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers (CAJO) in the development of a Protocol on Judicial Decision- Making with a Gender Perspective l;
• Add relevant Caribbean legislation to the CEDAW Legislative Indicators;
• Maintain and update the UN Women web-based Gender Equality Portal for the Caribbean which outlines policies and legislation related to CEDAW implementation; and
• Provide support as requested to UN Women’s Access to Justice portfolio.

Deliverables:

Specific activities and deliverables:

• Contribute to and support the development of the Protocol on Judicial Decision- Making with a Gender Perspective
• List of Caribbean legislation that are relevant to recently developed Caribeban specific CEDAW Legislative Indicators.
• Maintain and update the UN Women web-based Gender Equality Portal for the Caribbean which outlines policies and legislation related to CEDAW implementation;
• Daily support to the UN Women Access to Justice portfolio;

Competencies

Values / Guiding Principles:

Integrity and Fairness

• Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct;

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results.
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:
• Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff;
• Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Work in teams

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others.

Conflict management

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• The intern must be enrolled in a graduate school programme (second university degree or equivalent or higher) or have graduated, and commences the internship within a one-year period of graduation.
• It is essential that the intern has a law degree or be registered in an LLB or JD programme.
• Enrollment in a post graduate programme in International Development, Gender, Human Rights, Public Administration or other related Social Sciences would be an asset.

Work Experience:

The following work experience would be desirable:

• Experience in the area of human rights;
• Experience in the area of access to justice;
• Experience in Gender Equality and women’s empowerment;
• Experience with CEDAW or other international human rights conventions and mechanisms is considered ideal;
• Gender and Development experience is considered a strong asset.

Location of Internship:

• The Intern will be expected to be based in Barbados. 

UN Women Internship Policy:

Applicants to the United Nations internship programme must at the time of application meet one of the following requirements:

• UN Women internship programme does not provide a salary or remuneration for the internship;
• All the expenses connected with the internship will be borne by the intern, sponsoring Government or institution;
• UN Women accepts no responsibility for costs arising from accidents and/or illness or death incurred during the internship;
• The intern is responsible for obtaining necessary visas and arranging travel to and from the duty station where the internship will be performed;