For the Norwegian version of this article - see here
What started as a small diploma programme at the University of Oslo (UiO) in 1987 is today a regional research centre for women and law at the University of Zimbabwe (UZ), that are active forerunners for the development of women’s rights. They have a master course with about 35 students and seven PhD students from all over Southern and Eastern Africa.
In the late 1980s a cooperation between the Institute for Public Law at UiO, Norway and UZ to strengthen women’s rights and the knowledge of the judiciary in Southern Africa. It all started as a diploma program in “Women’s Law” at the UiO, but was established as its own unite at the Department of Private Law at UZ for regional association and legitimacy in 1993. In 2002 that resulted in an opening of an own centre called the Southern and Eastern African Regional Centre for Women’s Law (SEARCWL). The regional focus is essential for the programme and fundamental for the agreement between the Norwegian Foreign Ministry and the centre. The centre is important for exchange of information in North-South collaboration, but also essential for building knowledge and competence in a South-South perspective. The diploma course was change to a 18 month regional master programme in 2003, with students from Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania among others.
”The Centre for Women and Law” is now a well established and important actor in the region and is cooperation on a regional and international arena. Norway is the only financial supporter, but the centre has academic agreements with universities in the region and internationally. The academic agreements make it possible for international lecturers to travel to Zimbabwe and lecture for the MWL students on their academic field, for example within the field of gender and natural resources, health related rights, and women- and gender perspectives within traditional legal disciplines like human rights, family law, criminal and trade law.
The importance for regional and international development of women’s rights
What impact the programme has for North-South and South-South academic collaboration can be illustrated through the research and teaching collaboration on women’s rights to water. Lecturers from the region have together with the Department for Women’s law at UiO has been given research funds from the Norwegian research council’s NORGLOBAL programme ”Women’s rights and gender equality in Development”. Through the research project “Gender, Human Rights and Water Governance in Africa: Actors, Norms and Institutions” knowledge about women’s right to water is developed and incorporated in the teaching at SEARCWL, the universities in the region and at University in Oslo.
The programme is an important contribution to strengthen the teaching and research on women’s law both at universities in the region and at the University in Oslo. By being part of the programme, university lecturers from Makerere University, University of Nairobi, Strathmore University in Nairobi and the Chancellor College in Malawi can continue to build their expertise on fields like gender and human rights, gender and natural resources and gender, law and sexuality.
The students experience and future work situation
The master programme ”Master in Women and Law” (MWL) accepts around 35 students in every intake, where at least 80 per cent of the students being from outside Zimbabwe. The students have a varied background, often with long working experience. Especially important to the programme has been the recruitment from the police, judiciary and prison sector. The programme sees it as important to educate people in these sectors, as it is often here women meet the biggest hurdles when it comes to their own rights. Civil society is also an important recruitment channel. Many students have previously worked in organisations that work with strengthening women’s rights through information about the judicial system and legal aid.
In general the students feel that the master programme is very relevant and effective. Through the programme the students get necessary in depth knowledge in legal questions connected to women, in combination with a general insight in human rights, health, children, equality and constitution issues in a gender perspective. Students that have completed the MWL emphasize on the ability and strength the programme has to introduce a wide and more practical understanding of the frame work on human rights.
”The programme provide in depth understanding of instruments like CEDAW and coming from the Ministry of Labour, I was only concerned with article 11 but the programme has broadened my view” – Former student.
Surveys show that the master programme not only changes the mindset of the students taking part of the programme. It also has a positive effect on both the private and professional network of the graduates. A current male student has described his first term at MWL has changed him as a person. When he went back home to Zambia he described the following: ”On Sunday, I went to church [...] the pastor gave me the opportunity to greet the church and I shared my first semester encounter at SEARCWL with the church members. I challenged the men in the church to be considerate of their wives. [...] I will be talking to the Men’s fellowship next week on how as Christian husbands we can dismantle patriarchy in our households”.
Reports done on previous students show that they work in all sectors, from teachers and in grass roots organisations, to political advisers for ministers, they work in the private sector and in multinational organisations like the UN. The MWL programme has a continuous and long term effect on the work graduated students do. Through their work they take part in changing the attitudes and environment for women throughout the Southern and Eastern Africa – on all levels of society.
Not only does the programme give the students a thematic overview, but it also increases their confidence in their own work and analytical skills to be more independent and to question current laws and norms. Before joining the MWL they mainly accepted the laws and rules as given in previous work situation. The progammes unique ability to address important challenges in women and law within the context of the region is especially important.
”Prior to the MWL Programme I was just doing general legal work and after graduation I am now the Ministry’s Gender Focal Person dealing with women’s and human rights. I have grown professionally to the extent of accompanying the Minister of Gender to regional and international treaty meetings” – Former student
Surveys have been conducted on employers of students from the MWL programme. The employers emphasizes on the programmes ability to give their employees key skills that gives the workplace a wider insight in issues connected to women’s rights that go beyond the law and legal system.
Through their positions, voices and pens these master students, men and women, are taking part in changing women’s position in the legal system, local society and the social, economic and political life as a whole.