10th March International Day of Women Judges.

The UN General Assembly declared 10th March as International Day of Women Judges. It aims to recognise the contribution of women judges in the implementation of the law, fairness, and equal justice. Women have faced significant obstacles in entering the legal profession. In India, of the 256 Supreme Court judges appointed in 71 years, only 11 have been women. Early 2022, the American State Court Judges count only 34% of women. Thankfully, mentalities are progressively changing: the number of female magistrates doubled in 10 years in France, reaching 55% in 2000. IDWJ is about recognising the underrepresentation of women in higher levels and policy-making bodies of the judiciary. It also remains a symbol of the accomplishments of female judges, aiming to inspire girls all around the world who aspire to become, one day, judges too.

It probably is not of huge significance to the girls I teach as they are under 8 years old, but some of them have parents who are lawyers and judges and because of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and 5 (Gender Equality) they are aware of the inequities. It is also the week that started with International Women's Day. We have some biographies about these two female judges:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933 - 2020) was the second female justice of the Supreme Court.

These are board books, so obviously publishers think it is never too young to read about pioneering women who have fought for gender equality.

Then there are others of varying length and detail.

Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 

Unfortunately the biographies I could find are about American women. Someday we will have more to choose from.

There is also at least one biography about each of these famous female lawyers

• Hillary Clinton (born 1947)

• Michelle Obama (born 1964)  and 

• Kamala Harris (born 1964)

and I haven't seen this , but the blurb makes it sound ideal.

Judge Juliette by Laura Gehl 

Court is in session, with Judge Juliette presiding! Ever since preschool, Juliette’s favorite game has been settling cases. This young girl, with a firm sense of fairness, adjudicates all kinds of neighborhood disputes right from her own backyard—from determining a fair bedtime to figuring out where to locate competing lemonade stands. But now she’s faced with the toughest decision of all: her parents have finally agreed to let her have a pet . . . and they’ve come to her court to argue over whether to get a cat (dad’s request) or a dog (mum’s preference). What will Juliette do?

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and  inclusive institutions at all levels.

The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million in 2018, the highest level recorded by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in almost 70 years. 

Choose a book from here.

Where to start here? Peace, Justice or Institutions? Do students realise there is more to 'peace' than 'silence and no fighting'? Do they know what 'justice' is and when it is needed? Do they realise a school is an 'institution'? Do they understand what makes someone a refugee? All very big questions when you are under eight years old?

Maybe a good place to start with very young children is to look at the rights of a child and there are several picture books that you can use for this. In fact this could be a good place to start all the reading on the Sustainable Development Goals as there is no rule that says you have to start at Goal 1.

Our library has 

• I Have the Right to be a Child by Alain Serres and Aurelia Fronty

• We Are All Born Free by Amnesty International 

• For Every Child  by UNICEF

If you don't have these there is a short film clip that is good called 

I Have the Right to be a Child

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOsq5MVXZzk

I would then read a book about a refugee child who is dealing with a situation which means that some of his/her rights have been denied. Fortunately, now there are so many really good picture books to choose from for this age group. You could use any of these to ask what right is the child being denied and /or how is this child being shown kindness or given hope?

• My Name is Not Refuge by Kate Milner

• Hello! a Counting Book of Kindnesses by Hollis Kurman and Stephane Barroux

• The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman and Karin Littlewood

• A Child's Garden by Michael Foreman

And if you feel that your students are troubled by this, finish on a high note with 

Good People Everwhere by Lynea Gillen and Kristina Swarner.

Here's the blurb:

A colorful picture book that will warm the hearts of children and adults alike, each of its pages contain endearing examples and vibrant illustrations to inspire children to grow into grateful, caring, and giving people. It provides a wonderful way to calm children before sleep, ease their fears, and help them develop an appreciation for good work. Also included are activity pages to help children practice skills for creating gratitude, compassion, and beauty in daily life. 

From the booklet:

Ask • Do you think you are free? What makes you think that?

 

• We read...

• This story made me think that being free and safe means...