Call for Applications: Pacific Feminist Legal Theory and Practice (FLTP) Training

Feminist Legal Theory and Practice, or FLTP, is an APWLD training programme 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 into the programme and effectively challenge systemic and structural barriers to women’s human rights. As such, the FLTP draws on the experiences and perspectives of women from rural, indigenous, migrant, and urban poor women groups and WHRDs in the \ Asia and the Pacific, to make it rich and dynamic.

APWLD will organise its regional FLTP training in the Pacific targeting young lawyers, attorneys, activists, human rights advocates and Women Human Rights’ Defenders (WHRDs) in 2024.

The main objectives for having the Pacific FLTP are as follows:

• To develop greater understanding of gender, discrimination, equality, law and human rights;
• To enable participants to share their experiences of feminist legal advocacy;
• To identify and address dilemmas encountered by women’s rights advocates in their use of legal strategies to address women’s human rights;
• 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 ignite campaigns to advance women’s human rights in the region;
• To bring the WHRDs and women rights activists from the Pacific to the Regional level feminist movement and build a network of feminist legal practitioners and activists.

The training will focus on the following themes: analysis of women’s lives and realities; feminism and women’s movement; structural and systemic forces of oppression, feminist development justice, feminist analysis of the Law, Globalisation, Fundamentalisms and Militarisation and Patriarchy; women’s human rights and developments in international law; and feminist legal strategies for supporting women human rights defenders.

This training will create a pool of Pacific 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.

Selected Participants Must

• Attend the training in its entirety.
• Respond to emails in a timely way 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 up 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, legal strategies based on women human rights perspectives.
• Available to attend FLTP Training of Trainers (ToT) in the future.

Cost of the Training and Sponsorship

• APWLD will cover costs of board and lodging for the 5-day training (inclusive of a one-day solidarity activity). In addition,
  • APWLD will also cover costs of discounted economy airfare to and from the training destination, visa fee, airport tax, travel insurance (if applicable).
  • PCR test (if needed for travel purposes).
  • All additional travel related expenses must be informed by the participants to APWLD beforehand for approval or the participant will not be reimbursed for those expenses.

Criteria

• People can apply based on the following criteria:
  • Training is open to all genders.
  • Applicants from Pacific countries (Fiji, Tuvalu, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue and Micronesia) are welcome to apply.
  • Activists, legal professionals, development workers, young feminists, case workers, academics, media professionals, writers, researchers, women human rights defenders, who are using law and engaging with national, regional and international mechanisms to secure women’s human rights and social justice may apply.
• Participants will be selected based on the following considerations:
  • Balance in country representation of the Pacific region;
  • 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 is given to individuals with institutional/organisational affiliations and/or recommendations from APWLD network;
  • The participant group size will be limited to 15-20.
  • The main language of communications and instructions during the training will be English; therefore, level of proficiency in English is required.

For more information, visit APWLD.