Progress of the World’s Women 2011-12: In Pursuit of Justice

Progress of the World’s Women is a triennial report published by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). This second edition, published in August 2011, focuses on the evolution of women’s legal rights over the last several decades.The scope of women’s legal rights has broadened over the years. Still, the report notes, “…for most of world’s women the laws that exist on paper do not always translate into equality and justice.” It discusses the various obstacles women face in accessing legal and judicial recourse, examining 10 seminal legal cases from around the world – such as Vishaka vs State of Rajasthan – which have resulted in considerable progress for women’s rights. The report states, in its recommendations, that a functioning legal and judicial system is essential for enabling women to exercise their rights, and that more women need to be employed across roles in the judicial sector.The 166-page report is divided into two parts. The first part 'Making Justice Systems Work for Women' consists of an introduction, outlines of the 10 ‘ground breaking’ court cases, and four chapters: Legal Frameworks (Chapter 1); The Justice Chain (Chapter 2); Legal Pluralism and Justice for Women (Chapter 3); and Justice for Women During and After Conflict (Chapter 4). The second part 'Gender Justice and the Millennium Development Goals' enumerates the eight MDGs – adopted by the United Nations in 2000, and to be achieved by 2015 – followed by recommendations to enhance justice systems.