Judicial Council head: Judiciary mustn't recognize discrimination and prejudice
Skopje, 18 November 2022 (MIA) - European values don't recognize gender discrimination. It is necessary to follow processes and take part in the creation of an equal society that offers equal opportunities for all and one that includes women in the creation of the country's future, said the President of the Judicial Council, Pavlina Crvenkovska.
Addressing Friday's promotion of a baseline study on Gender and Diversity in the Judiciary, recently published by the OSCE Mission to Skopje, Crvenkovska said it is a pleasure that OSCE had conducted a survey in the judiciary focused on gender equality and the functioning of the judicial system at a time when many women have been appointed to top posts or as judges.
However, she said, the OSCE study through its recommendations illustrates a more perfect system in which discrimination is isolated by gender and by ethnic origin with an emphasis on human rights of the smaller communities, in fact women who have been facing unequal treatment when enrolling at the Academy for Judges and Public Prosecutors or when applying for jobs.
The OSCE study points out a number of categories of citizens whose rights are reduced in court proceedings, which violates the right to justice. The existence of such cases ruins the legitimacy of the judiciary and the country is in a phase in which it is necessary to demonstrate high-level justice equality and respect of human rights, considered key precondition for judiciary without discrimination, the Judicial Council said in a press release.
Gender representation in the judiciary is high, the press release said adding six women are members of the Judicial Council and 23 out of 33 members of the Council's staff are women. 62 percent of judges in the country are women. "These percentages show the judiciary makes no gender discrimination. Justice cannot recognize discrimination and prejudice, it is the only way to establish and credible judiciary," said the Judicial Council.