Flordeliz Cabanlit Fargas

Philippines

She has been with the Judiciary for 30 years now- rose from the ranks from being a Court Attorney of Justices of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, Chief of the Office of Policy and Development Research of the Judicial and Bar Council until she got appointed as the Presiding Judge of the  Family Court. She is a Law Professor and a member of the Pool of Lecturers of the Supreme Court and the Philippine Judicial Academy. She is likewise a Resource Speaker and Facilitator in both the government and private sector on topics involving Gender and Development.

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Hermielita Meneses

Philippines

Judge Hermielita Martinez Meneses is a presiding judge in a Municipal Circuit Trial Court in Pampanga, Philippines. She was a Senior Court Attorney at her country’s Supreme Court before she was appointed as a member of the Bench. Prior to which, she spent ten (10) years of her career also as a Court Attorney at the Court of Appeals researching on laws, rules, and jurisprudence, and drafting decisions. She is also a professor in a law school and an advocate for equality in law as well as for nature and children’s right to education.

Elmira S. Cruz - Caisido 

Philippines

She is the new presiding judge of the Regional Trial Court-Branch 68, Camiling, Tarlac, PH after taking her oath last March 2022. She started her legal career as an Associate Solicitor at the Office of the Solicitor General then changed to corporate practice for 5 years. After pursuing a career as Human Resource Manager, she returned to legal practice as Deputy Executive Director at the PH Government Procurement Policy Board-Technical Support Office. Persuing her dream of becoming part of the judiciary, she joined the legal team of PH Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy C. Lazaro-Javier as Court Attorney before her appointment as judge.

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Luvencia Desir

Haiti

Luvencia DESIR was born on December 4, 1988 in Haiti. After her law studies and her degree in Education Sciences in 2012, she joined the Gonaives Bar in 2013. She obtained a Magistrate diploma at the School of Magistracy (EMA), Port-au-Prince , Haiti in 2016 and another Magistrate degree at the National School of Magistracy (ENM), Bordeaux, France, in 2017. She joined the Haitian judiciary in September 2017 as Substitute of the Government Commissioner for the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Court of First Instance of Gonaïves where she spent 5 years. Currently, she is a judge at the Court of First Instance of Saint-Marc and a master's student in international and European law of fundamental rights at the University of Nantes, France.

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Michena Lamothe

Haiti

Michena Lamothe works at the Court of First Instance of Gonaïves where she has been appointed as a (Sitting) Judge since August 2017 after her (initial) training at the School of Magistracy (EMA). She is very happy to have been selected as a member of the Rising Leader 2023 cohort and to be able to attend the 16th Biennial Conference of the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) which will be held in Marrakech (Morocco) from May 11 to 15, 2023. She hopes (even dare to believe) that this experience will be very enriching, and, in return, she will do her best to fulfill her responsibilities in perfect collaboration with the team of the Women in Leadership In Law initiative (WILIL) for the agreed period.

Simone Walker-McFarlane 

Jamaica

Her honour, Mrs. Simone Walker McFarlane, currently serves as a parish court judge in Jamaica, a position she has held for approximately three years. As a parish court judge, she adjudicates in the parish of St. Mary in the areas of criminal, civil, family, and traffic. She is an astute community advocate with exceptional leadership skills with a track record of holding distinctive roles to include. Judge Walker-McFarlane is an adept writer. She has co-authored publications addressing human rights and justice to include, “Legalization of Abortions – What is the big deal?” (AGC Pulse, August 2018), and “Rethinking Sustainable Development in Terms of Justice” (Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2018). 

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Sharlene Jaggernauth 

Trinidad and Tobago

Master Sharlene Jaggernauth was appointed to the Family Bench of the Judiciary of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in 2021. Prior to her appointment, she served as Legal Services Manager of the newly established Child Protection Authority within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for a period of 5 years. She has contributed extensively to major legislative reform as well as the jurisprudence touching and affecting child and family law in Trinidad and Tobago as lead counsel in a number of landmark cases which now stand as the jurisprudential authority concerning child law in Trinidad and Tobago.

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Sydelle Johnson

Trinidad and Tobago

In 2019 Master Johnson joined the Judiciary of Trinidad and Tobago as an Assistant Registrar and Deputy Marshall. In January, 2021 she was promoted to the position of Master of the High Court in the Family and Children Division and is currently the sitting Master at the Family Court in the island of Tobago. In July 2013, Master Johnson was selected to participate in the United Nations 51st Graduate Study Programme in Geneva, Switzerland, where she obtained a certificate in Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In August, 2015, she completed her Master of Laws in Human Rights Law with merit from the University of London, Queen Mary University.

Verónica Gloria Acacio Trujillo 

Mexico

Master in Law and Doctor Honoris Causa by the Claustro Nacional de Doctores. Numerary Magistrate in the Judiciary Council of the Judicial Power of the State of Quintana Roo, ratified for a second period of exercise in the position of Numerary Magistrate by the Congress of the State of Quintana Roo. Promoter and permanent defender of Human Rights and Vulnerable Groups.

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Mujibat Iyabobe Oshodi

Nigeria

Her Ladyship, HON. JUSTICE MUJIBAT IYABODE OSHODI who is a multiple degree holder and a former prosecutor in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice Nigeria, was sworn in as a Judge of the High Court of Lagos State on the 31st of December 2021. Within a year in the Judiciary, Her Ladyship has demonstrated the same zeal and made her contributions to legal jurisprudence in the adjudication of general civil causes and matters. Justice Oshodi’s vision is to continue to preserve the course of justice in the performance of her duties and she was a member of the Local Organizing Committee in 2022 when Lagos State hosted the inaugural international day of women judges.

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Bianca Gyamera-Beeko

Ghana

Her Worship is a lawyer by profession and presides over the District Court, Toase in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. She was appointed as a magistrate in July, 2022. Prior to her appointment, she worked as a private legal practitioner and subsequently joined PricewaterhouseCoopers (Ghana) Ltd. as a Senior Tax Associate. From 2016 until her appointment, Bianca volunteered as a legal aid officer with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ghana, a non-profit human rights organisation. In this role, she mediated several matters and represented clients whose matters were not amenable to mediation pro bono. Bianca holds two bachelor's degrees from the University of Ghana; one in Psychology and English, and the other in Law.

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Amandine Ingabire

Burundi

She serves as a judge at the Ministry of Justice of Burundi, and she has over nine years of professional experience working on land disputes, women's rights, and children's rights. Ingabire is also a passionate women's rights defender and has expertise in children's rights and gender post-conflict; she was a member of the Association Dushirehamwe for more than 5 years which focuses on increasing women’s voting rights and promoting Human Rights and national reconciliation. Currently, She is a Humphrey Fellow at American University Washington College of Law where she is focusing on gaining skills in Human Rights, International Humanitarian, and International criminal law to enable her to promote community social responsibilities, human rights, justice, and gender equality in her country. 

Helewena Nesru Kedir

Ethiopia

She is Helewena Nesru Kedir. has a LLB, LLM in Business Law and MA in Gender and Development Studies. She has been practicing law for the last fifteen years. Currently, she is serving as a Supreme Court Judge, Ethiopia.





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Veronica Agboje 

Nigeria

Hon. Justice Veronica O. Agboje is a Judge of the High Court of Delta State. She was appointed to the High Court Bench in May 2020. Prior to her appointment, she was a Prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). She is married with two children.

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Jackie Kibosia

Kenya

Jackie is a magistrate based in Nairobi (Kenya) with a keen interest in Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ). Represents Judiciary in the National Council on Administration of Justice (NCAJ)- Standing Committee on Child Matters. NCAJ is a high level policy making, implementation and oversight multi-agency chaired by the Hon. Chief Justice. Jackie introduced Art and Play Therapy in the Child Justice System as a Therapeutic Jurisprudence intervention. Holder of the Head of State Commendation- Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW). She is a member of International Association Women Judges-Kenya Chapter.