• 
• 
• 
  • Forthcoming
  • Recent
• 
• 
• 

48 Charles Street,
London W1J 5EN
info@strategicdialogue.org Tel: +44 (0) 20 7493 9333
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7493 4909

Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Women's Rights

Helena Kennedy QC

6 - 14 February 2012
University of Cambridge

Baroness Kennedy QC, a Trustee of the Institute, served as Humanitas Visiting Professor in Women's Rights 2012. A leading barrister and expert in human rights law, civil liberties and constitutional issues, she spoke about the role of women within the judiciary, the universality of human values and the inability of national legal systems to adequately respond to the new challenges of globalised crimes, particularly those which involve the abuse and exploitation of women. 

In her first lecture, she reviewed the changes that have taken place and the remaining challenges for women in the courts as defendants, victims and lawyers. She compellingly argued that although a veneer of equal opportunity and fairness now exists, the system itself resists fundamental change because of the law's role in maintaining the status quo and its inability to counter the power of vested interests, particularly given the scarcity of women in senior positions in the judiciary. In her second lecture, she looked at how women fare internationally, especially in societies where brutal practices like female genital mutilation persist. Her third lecture was concerned with the impact of globalisation on human trafficking and the sexual abuse of women. Her three lectures were followed by a symposium, where  a panel comprised of Baroness Kennedy QC, Baroness O'Neil, Professor Sarah Franklin, Dr Henrietta Moore and Sir Bob Hepple was tested by questions from the audience.

The Humanitas Chair in Women's Rights has been made possible by the generous support of Mrs Carol Saper.

To view Helena Kennedy's lectures, visit ISD's Youtube channel. To view images of her lectures, visit ISD's Flickr stream. To view the poster for the series, click here.