Call for Application: Asia and the Pacific Regional Feminist Legal Theory and Practice (FLTP)

Feminist Legal Theory and Practice (FLTP) is one of the flagship training programmes of APWLD which promotes the application of feminist analysis, deeper grounding in human rights and the use of the law or legal strategies to uphold women’s human rights. Participatory methodologies and approach to learning are carefully integrated to the programme and effectively challenge systemic and structural barriers to women’s human rights.

Objectives

• The main objectives for having the Asia and the Pacific Regional FLTP are as follows:
  • To develop a greater understanding of gender, gender based discrimination, feminist theories, intersectionality, equity and equality, law and international human rights mechanisms;
  • To enable participants to share their experiences of feminist legal advocacy and feminist legal strategies;
  • To identify and address the limitations and challenges encountered by women’s rights advocates in their use of legal strategies to address women’s rights issues.
  • To enhance the capability of participants to effectively challenge discriminatory laws and practices in their countries by feminist, rights-based legal practice and by applying international conventions and precedents for the advancement of women’s human rights;
  • To bring WHRDs and women rights activists to the Regional level feminist movement and build a network of feminist legal practitioners and activists;
  • To create a pool of regional FLTP graduates (FLTP Grads) who will use the FLTP framework as part of the movement to support substantive legal change that uphold women’s human rights.

Themes

• The training will be for 5 days focusing on the following themes:
  • analysis of women’s lives and realities;
  • feminism and women’s movement;
  • structural and systemic forces of oppression (globalisation, fundamentalism, militarisation and patriarchy);
  • feminist development justice, feminist analysis of the Law, women human rights and developments in international law and feminist legal strategies and approaches for supporting women human rights defenders.

Eligibility Criteria

• People can apply based on the following criteria:
  • Training is open to women in all their diversity, and they prioritise women from the most marginalised constituencies and countries.
  • APWLD members as well as non-members from Asia and the Pacific region.
  • Judges, lawyers, young feminists and activists, prosecutors, case workers, academics, media persons, women human rights defenders, writers, researchers, activists and development workers from grassroots who engage with law or use law for women’s human rights and social justice and support feminist values.

Selection Criteria

• Participants will be selected based on the following considerations:
  • Balance in representations of Asia and the Pacific countries and sub-regions;
  • Balance in sectoral areas of work;
  • Combination of judges, lawyers, young feminists and activists, paralegals, case workers, para-legal volunteers, prosecutors and academics engaging with the law for women’s human rights and social justice;
  • Preference would be given to Women Human Rights Defenders in all diversities, especially young WHRDs below the age of 35;
  • Preference given to individuals with institutional/organisational affiliations and/or recommendations from APWLD networks;
  • The participant group size will be limited to a maximum number of 20;
  • The main language of communications and instructions during the training will be English; therefore level of proficiency in English is required.
• Selected participants must:
  • Attend the five days of the training in its entirety.
  • Respond to emails in a timely manner as that will be the main method of communicating regarding deadlines, registration, hotel and travel arrangements.
  • Produce a Personal Action Plan towards the end of the training that demonstrates how they will utilise the training as part of a strategy to bring about changes in laws, policies or practices in their country.
  • Respond to periodic follow-ups from APWLD after the training.
  • Maintain the communication with APWLD and the FLTP community as a means of support.
  • Use the experience and skills learnt in the FLTP to conduct litigation and legal strategies based on women’s human rights perspectives.
  • Available to attend FLTP Training of Trainers (ToT) in the future.

For more information, visit APWLD.