Global Pro Bono Report: Accessing Justice – 3 Year Anniversary Review

The Global Pro Bono Report shows the breadth and depth of ICAAD’s ability to leverage multidisciplinary partnerships to catalyze social impact; helping women, girls, and minorities to achieve equality. Inside the report you’ll find informative comments from our partners, experts in their fields, on our ambitious work together.

Excerpts from the report from two of our pro bono partners:

“I’m proud to say that DLA Piper is collaborating with the International Center for Advocates Against Discrimination to combat violence against women in Pacific Island Countries. The Pacific has some of the highest rates of violence against women (“VAW”) in the world and incredibly low rates of prosecution, conviction and sentencing. We are working with ICAAD to assess the structural factors that perpetuate gender inequality and VAW. The project covers 12 Pacific Island Countries and aims to intervene where law enforcement, legislation and the judiciary fail to protect women. For our own lawyers this has been a fantastic opportunity to utilise their legal skills in a way that hopefully will create lasting change for many women and families. We have had more than thirty lawyers across our Asia-Pacific offices working on this project. For some, undertaking the research and analysis was an eye-opening experience, allowing them to see just how critical non-discriminatory, well-functioning legal systems are to women and girls’ lives.” – Emily Christie, Asia-Pacific Pro Bono Manager, DLA Piper LLP

“Linklaters LLP is a leading global law firm headquartered in London with 29 offices in 20 countries worldwide. The firm has been working with ICAAD to combat discrimination globally since 2013. The collaboration began with a large cross-border pro bono project researching structural discrimination issues in ten countries. The goal of the research was to improve implementation of human rights recommendations adopted by states through the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (“UPR”) process. The UPR is a unique process which involves a review of the human rights records of all UN Member States. Approximately forty Linklaters lawyers from ten of its offices (Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, New York, Paris and Warsaw) reviewed reports from UN agencies, NGOs, governments and other sources. Subsequently, they analysed legislation and policies giving rise to structural discrimination issues.” – Waleed Rasromani, Associate, Linklaters LLP