As we all well know, the road for a young girl in the developing world; from obtaining an education, to going to university, to making her way through law school, to ultimately finding work is a relentless and heroic climb.  The women who achieve this have beat extraordinary odds and have demonstrated a passion and commitment that deserves not only our applause and respect but also our support.

Our JusticeMakers program connects, trains and funds leading social entrepreneurs around the world. This program has enabled IBJ to significantly expand the global reach of its work while maintaining a sustainable grassroots methodology.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be providing more information about how you may wish to be involved with the launch of our dedicated Women JusticeMakers initiative.

Today, the online JusticeMakers platform connects over 2500 lawyers and legal activists, enabling them to share intellectual capital and best practices in the field of criminal justice. This network enables us to unleash the collective energies of criminal defenders from around the world and unlock the vast potential of international human rights legislation. 

Gloria Steinem, leader and spokeswoman for the feminist movement, was asked to whom she intended to pass her torch. She replied: “First of all, I’m not giving up my torch, thank you! I’m using my torch to light other people’s torches…if we each have a torch, there’s a lot more light”.

2022 Women JusticeMakers

Hatice Savranloglu Kilis
Esra Yurum Sanliurfa

2021 Women JusticeMakers / African Access to Justice (AA2J) Fellows

Joëlle Shabani (DRC)
Mwinji Siwale (Zambia)
Hend El Feki (Tunisia)
Maria Matui (Tanzania)
Ramatoulaye Ba (Senegal)
Joëlle Kabagambe (Rwanda)
Nafissatou Alfidja (Niger)
Enricah Dulo (Kenya)
Carine Oupoh (Ivory Coast)
Fidès Nibasumba (Burundi)

2021 Women Justice Makers

IBJ Indonesia’s 2021 JusticeMakers competition awarded 10 female defence lawyers and human rights defenders with a Fellowship to support innovative methods to help the Indonesian justice system adapt and mitigate the challenges that have arisen due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the EU sponsored project ‘Advancing Access to Justice for Women in Indonesia’, the Fellows’ projects focus specifically on assisting and advancing access to justice for women in conflict with the law.

Ana Abdillah
Chicha Zaitun Elizabeth
Ester Ahaswasty Day
Joan Patricia Walu Sudjiati Riwu Kaho
Latifah Anum Siregar
Nofita Putri Manik
Nur Aida Duwila
Nurhikmah Kasmar
Siti Nur Faida Said
Tuani Sondang Rejeki Marpaung

2017 Women JusticeMakers

Noéllie Iyewa Gaglo (Togo)
Charlotte Tchakounte (Cameroon)
Khadi Ouedraogo Sy (Burika Faso)
Gisèle Ngungua Sangua (DRC)
Thérèse Donu (Togo)

2015 Women JusticeMakers

Pawinee Chumsri (Thailand)
Arianne Reyes (The Philippines)
Naila Rizki Zakia (Indonesia)

2014 Women JusticeMakers

Lilian Ada Adakole (Nigeria)
Lillian Mworeko (Uganda)

2012 Women JusticeMakers

Nelli Kalikova (Estonia)
Garima Tiwari (India)
Tatyana Kochetkova (Russia)
Larissa Solovyeva (Russia)

2011 Women JusticeMakers

Adriana Patricia Castano Roman (Colombia)
Judge Mahfuza Folad (Afghanistan)
Maria de la Paz Martinez Irigoitia (Paraguay)
Mabel Jenny Antezana Arispe (Bolivia)
Justine Mwanaisha Saidi (DRC)
Gabriela Eugenia Vázquez (Argentina)
Verónica Marisol Quiroga Pando (Bolivia)
Alex Argo Hernowo (Indonesia)

2010 Women JusticeMakers

H.M. Harshi Chitrangi Perera (Sri Lanka)
Dato’ Yasmeen Shariff (Malaysia)
Oanh Hoang Ngo (Vietnam)
Ajeng Larasati (Indonesia)
Bijaya Chanda (India)
Nana Chapidze (Georgia)