Justice
Gertrude
Esaaba
Torkornoo
Advertisement
Chief
Justice
Gertrude
Araba
Esaaba
Torkornoo
has
assured
women
in
the
legal
profession
that
she
will
work
to
ensure
equality
in
the
judiciary.
Speaking
at
the
launch
of
the
Gender
Equality
in
Law
Campaign
by
the
Institute
for
African
Women
in
Law,
the
Chief
Justice
indicated
that
in
playing
her
role
in
promoting
equality,
she
will
create
the
right
atmosphere
to
enable
females
in
the
legal
profession
to
thrive.
“For
the
almost
20
years
before
I
joined
the
Judiciary,
between
1987
and
2004,
I
almost
resolved
every
year
to
stop
private
legal
practice
because
of
inefficiency
in
justice
delivery
and
that
is
why
anyone
can
see
that
I
am
so
intense
about
ensuring
efficiency
in
justice
delivery.
“So
young
women,
take
it
from
me,
I’ve
been
pregnant
and
going
to
court.
I
have
had
babies
that
needed
to
get
to
their
creches
before
going
to
court,
and
I’m
going
to
do
everything
I
can
to
make
your
work
easier,”
she
noted.
The
Chief
Justice
lamented
that
women
in
the
legal
profession
face
undue
challenges
by
virtue
of
their
gender.
“It
must
be
recognized
that
women
in
law
and
leadership
continue
to
face
unnecessary
and
daunting
challenges
on
account
of
their
gender.
Gender
bias,
toxic
approaches
to
competition
in
the
social
and
workspace
often
cause
women
to
recoil
from
striving.
Negative
comments
and
stereotypes
can
take
a
toll
on
mental
health
and
self-esteem.
Deliberate
distortion
of
altruistic
intentions
when
a
leader
proposes
change
can
all
affect
the
desire
to
persist
in
putting
out
our
best.
Nevertheless,
we
must
remain
steadfast
in
the
commitment
to
law
and
justice,
undeterred
by
external
pressures,”
she
urged.
“The
inescapable
reality
is
that
the
current
workplace,
particularly
in
the
context
of
the
Judiciary,
was
primarily
conceived
and
constructed
without
an
awareness
of
the
needs
of
working
women.
It
is
therefore
incumbent
upon
women
leaders
to
shape
working
spaces
to
better
reflect
the
diverse
needs
of
both
genders,”
the
Chief
Justice
assured.
Gertrude
Torkornoo
called
for
strong
policies
and
strategies
which
would
help
women
in
the
field
and
promote
equality.
“Robust
strategies
must
be
formulated
for
resilience
that
allow
the
female
presence
to
endure
and
give
of
its
best
to
the
judicial
system
and
the
legal
profession,”
she
added.