On April 17, 2024, Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh presented the results of the Legal Feminism in Philippine Gender Jurisprudence Study at Saint Louis University. The study aims to examine the courts’ interpretation of gender-responsive laws and their capacity to identify gender-responsive remedies. It also seeks to assess awareness of gender biases, inequalities, and discrimination in judicial decisions, including instances of stereotyping men and women and gender-based violence, and to propose corrective measures to address these issues.
The ultimate goal of the study is to provide guidance to the Judiciary in its efforts towards gender mainstreaming. Funding for the study is provided by the European Union’s Access to Justice Programme - Governance in Justice (GOJUST).
The European Union’s GOJUST Programme further demonstrated its commitment to gender equality and social inclusion by donating a series of publications on feminist jurisprudence titled “Feminist Judgments” to the Saint Louis University School of Law.
Atty. Hector Soliman, the programme’s Senior Adviser on Access to Justice, handed over the books, stating, “We hope that the Feminist Judgments Series will become a valuable resource for the University and the Law School, serving as a reference for teaching, analysis, and the promotion of women’s rights and true gender equality in our society.”
The series of Cambridge University Books on Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Judicial Opinions, donated by the European Union, reinterprets key judicial decisions through a social justice lens. Leveraging feminist methods and theories, the series highlights traditionally marginalized perspectives such as gender, race, and class.
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With a total grant of EUR19 million (Php 1.1 billion ) over a period of four years, the EU’s GOJUST programme supports the Government of the Republic of the Philippines’ efforts to improve access to justice for all Filipinos, and thus, contribute to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development. GOJUST works with the Philippine Supreme Court, the Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to develop more responsive and accountable justice services in the country.
In addition, GOJUST aims at strengthening the Commission on Human Rights to help it carry out its constitutional mandate of civil and political rights protection and enhance human rights promotion in the Philippines. This component is co-funded with the Spanish Agency for Development Cooperation (AECID), with an additional EUR 1 million (Php 59.47 million).