Orleans Civil District Court Judge Bernadette G. D’Souza was the invited keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the International Society of Family Law (ISFL) Caribbean Regional Conference in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Human rights, child protection, and women and families advocates from around the world attended the conference, which highlighted the theme, “Safeguarding the Human Rights of Family Members from the Womb to the Tomb.” The conference chair was Independent Senator in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago Hazel Thompson-Aye.
Judge D'Souza, who was elected in 2012 as the first Family Court Judge of Orleans Civil District Court, is a longtime proponent of women’s and families’ rights. She expounded on the topic, “A Holistic Approach to Eradicating a Most Egregious Violation of Human Rights: Violence against Women and Children.” Judge D’Souza, consistently passionate about justice for women and human rights for all, expressed, “I am honored to have been given an opportunity at the ISFL Conference to speak with those who share in the fight for justice for women and children who are victims of violence. It is important to give a voice to these countless innocent victims and discuss methods to combat this global challenge.”
Judge D’Souza has previously addressed these issues speaking internationally at the U.S. State Department INL Office at the “Role of Women in Justice” Conference, in Yerevan, Armenia. She participated on a panel on “Integrated Domestic Violence Courts” at the United Nations Convention on Status of Women in New York, and at the invitation from His Holiness Pope Francis, she presented on Equal Access to Justice at the First Pan-American Judges Summit, at the Vatican in Rome.
A large number of judges, law professors, legal practitioners, lawyers, social workers, and policy- makers from the United States, Ireland, England, Scotland, Sweden, Denmark, South Africa, Nigeria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, St Kitts, Dominica, Antigua, Turks and Caicos, The Bahamas and Guyana also participated. New Zealand, Italy, Lithuania, and Argentina were among the countries that presented virtually.
The ISFL is an independent, international, scholarly association dedicated to the study, research, and discussion of family law and related disciplines. ISFL’s membership includes professors, jurists, legal practitioners, and researchers from over fifty (50) countries.
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Original source can be found here.