Women judges and justices in the Philippines and Australia led their counterparts in the Asia and the Pacific Region in a three-day convention in Cebu City where they discussed initiatives to make justice more accessible to all, particularly women and children.

The event, which ended last Friday, May 10, was called the 2024 Asia and the Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) and 2024 National Convention of the Philippine Women Judges Association (PWJA).

With the theme “WOMEN LEAD: Transforming Asia-Pacific and Changing the World,” the IAWJ-PWJA convention led to the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on judicial cooperation between the Supreme Court (SC) of the Philippines and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.

The MOU was signed by Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo of the Philippines and Chief Justice William Alstergren AO of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, who joined online.

In a press briefer, the SC’s Public Information Office (SC-PIO) said “the MOU focuses on enhancing the access to the family courts of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society, including women and children, developing women’s leadership opportunities in the family courts, and capacity-building initiatives on trafficking in persons and online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.”

The focus areas jibe with the SC’s Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI), especially the SPJI’s guiding principle on equal and inclusive justice and target outcome of “Access.”

Also, the focus areas are consistent with Australia’s ongoing thrust to promote gender equality, disability, and social inclusion or GEDSI, the SC-PIO said.

The SC-PIO said: “The MOU is an initiative under the Fostering Advancement of Inclusive Rights-based (FAIR) Justice Program of the Australian Government, pursuant to the Strategic Partnership between Australia and the Republic of the Philippines.”

It said that under the agreement, the Chief Justices of both and the Philippines and Australia will endeavor to meet annually to advance the relationship between the parties.

It also said the agreement acknowledges that “the implementation of projects and activities may involve a combination of Australian and Philippine expertise, in coordination with other justice sector agencies, the central socio-economic planning agency, and other relevant agencies as required or warranted.”

In his message, Chief Justice Gesmundo described the MOU as “the latest addition to a long history of cooperation between our two governments and our judiciaries, a partnership that is borne not only of mutual pursuits and advocacies, but likewise anchored on mutual respect and support.”

Gesmundo said: “The MOU will usher in another chapter of cooperation as we continuously strive to improve our service to our people. In particular, our programs to upgrade the capacity of our Family Courts, from the judges to the prosecutors and public attorneys, up to the social workers and law enforcement agents, will be a critical part of this cooperation.”

He also pointed the SPJI’s initiatives such as the adoption of the first-ever organic Guidelines on the Use of Gender-Fair Language in the Judiciary and Gender-Fair Courtroom Etiquette; the Study on Gender Mobility and Representation in the Philippine Judiciary; and the Study on Feminism in Philippine Jurisprudence.

At the same time, Gesmundo said the SC monitoring women’s correctional facilities in the Philippines to gather valuable input in crafting the first ever Manual for Handling Women in Conflict with the Law.

SC Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier, the incumbent PWJA president and IAWJ vice-president, expressed high hopes for the MOU with its aim “of honing the skills of Family Court judges to become better equipped at protecting women, children, and families involved in intricate legal disputes.”

Justice Lazaro-Javier also said: “Through greater cross-border collaborations, we are able to gain insights into the effective practices of each nation and are able to uplift each other towards attaining gender equality. Together, we shall rise for there is nothing stronger than a group of women bonded by the same cause.”

Welcome remarks during the first day of the event were delivered by SC Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, who is also the PWJA executive vice president and IAWJ regional director, and New Zealand District Court Judge Nicola Mathers, also an IAWJ Asia and the Pacific Region regional director.

Justice Singh said: “The work that the Philippine Judiciary has made will have lasting impact for the feminist cause. Through our steadfast commitment to fairness, justice, and equal rights, the judiciary stands poised to establish significant precedents and influence societal perspectives on gender equality.”

The SC-PIO said the other speakers during event were Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HE Hae Kyong (HK) Yu PSM, FCPA; Federal Court of Australia Chief Justice Debra Sue Mortimer (online); IAWJ Executive Director Ms. Christie R. Jones; Court of Appeals Associate Justices and PWJA Vice Presidents Tita Marilyn Payoyo-Villordon and Ma. Belen Ringpis-Liban; Federal Court of Malaysia Justice Dato’ Zabariah binti Mohd Yusof, acting as representative of Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Binti Tuan Mat; and World Bank Group Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel Christopher Stephens.

It said there was also a discussion on “Initiatives of Women Judges towards Gender Parity at All Levels of the Judiciary” with Judge Maria Zoraida ZabatTuazon as moderator and speakers Justice Suntariya Muanpawong of the Supreme Court of Thailand, Justice B.V. Nagarathna of the Supreme Court of India, CA Associate Justice Angelene Mary W. Quimpo-Sale, and Justice Niava Mata Tuatagaloa of the Supreme Court of Samoa.

Another discussion was held on “Rehabilitation and Social Reintegration of Women Prisoners and Offenders, and Alternatives to Imprisonment for Women Offenders,” with New Zealand District Court Judge Mathers as moderator, and speakers Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Ana Teresa T. Cornejo-Tomacruz; Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines Commissioner Faydah M. Dumarpa; Australia’s Griffith University Senior Lecturer Dr. Samantha Jeffries; Thailand Institute of Justice Executive Director Dr. Phiset Sa-Ardyen; and Dhaka, Bangladesh Additional District Judge Lubna Zahan.