In July 2012, the gender distribution in the Georgian Judicial Administration was 63% male.  Several high positions within the court lacked female representation and were entirely made up of male jurists.

To address this issue of gender disparity in the courts, in April 2013, the Deputy Chief of Mission Bridget Brink, Supreme Court Chairman Konstantine Kublashvili, and the Minister of Justice Tea Tsulukiani joined to host a conference, organized by EWMI, entitled “Gender in the Court: Working Toward a More Inclusive Court System.” The conference aimed to foster the development of a court system that encourages women to play a greater role in the running of courts and the development of the justice system.  More information about the conference can be found here: http://www.ewmi.org/JILEPApril2013.

A few months after the conference, noticeable improvements could already be seen.  As of July 2013, female jurists moved into court positions which were previously without female representation.  The number of female HCOJ Members rose from zero to three, while the makeup of the Disciplinary Committee also shifted to include a female jurist and two female non-judge members.  Although the shift towards a more even distribution of gender in the courts is exciting, several positions, including the Disciplinary Chamber and the Judge chairs of the Chambers of the courts, remain entirely male.  EWMI will continue to support initiatives aimed at balancing the scales and encourage further progress.