Online Conference “Gender Competent Legal Knowledge” – New Quality in Education for Gender Equality – Strategic Partnership for the Development of Master`s Study Program Law and Gender

The most important intellectual output planned to be created in the frame of the LAWGEM project is Curriculum with 17 syllabi, for purposes of establishing, accrediting and implementing in the near future the master`s study program Law and Gender. Learning, Teaching, Training Workshop (LTT) was planned to be held from 11 to 15 of May, 2020, in order to help the research groups from five consortium universities to create as better as possible syllabi and Curriculum for master`s study program Law and Gender. According to the circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, the LTT Workshop is postponed for November 16-20, 2020. Also, the online conference “Gender Competent Legal Knowledge” was organized with the support of OSCE Mission to Serbia, with the prestigious key-note speakers.

Online conference was held on 25^th May 2020 via platform CISCO Webex, with the task of helping the research teams`participants to comprehend more deeply the gender sensitive discourse and approach in legal education. The presentations started from two methodological principles and aims – firstly, to give the contribution regarding gender sensitive reconsideration of particular legal disciplines, and, secondly, to give the contribution to conceptual clarifications regarding meaning of gender identity, equality, privacy, power relations, violence, self-determination, contract, etc.

Prof. Dr. Ivanka Popović, the Rector of the University of Belgrade had opened the gathering and greeted the speakers and participants. In addition, the gathering was greeted by head of the project Prof. Dr. Dragica Vujadinović. She underlined that this academic event represents the added value to the mentioned project. Its aim was to help the LAWGEM research teams` participants to comprehend more deeply the gender competent discourse in legal education in general and regarding the particular legal disciplines. However, the issues of gender competent legal knowledge are relevant per se and are interesting to a much wider audience as well: more than 100 researchers from many European countries took part in the conference. They had a great opportunity to listen to very interesting talks of distinguished authors – professors Dr. Susanne Baer, Dr. Nicola Lacey, Dr. Rosemary Hunter, Dr. Silvia Suteu, Dr. Ivana Jelic, and to discuss with them relevant topics of the feminist legal theory and feminist reconsideration of family law, criminal law and judiciary. Prof. Dr. Vujadinović delivered her vote of thanks to all key note speakers, who accepted without hesitation to take part in this event and to prepare excellent abstracts and inspirative lectures in the worst time of Covid-19 pandemic. According to Prof. Dr. Vujadinović, this clearly designates their strong personal support for attempts of the LAWGEM team to examine gender aspects of legal education.

The first speaker was Humboldt University Faculty of Law Professor and Justice of the German Federal Constitutional Court Dr. Susanne Baer. The topic of her presentation was: Gender and Law: Concepts – Controversies – Changes.

The next key note speaker was Professor of Law, Gender and Social Policy at the London School of Economics Nicola Lacey, who spoke about the topic Gender and Crime: Women and Responsibility.

Professor of Law and Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Kent Dr. Rosemary Hunter presented the topic: Family Law and Gender Equality.

After these three lectures, there was one-hour time for the discussion, while in the second part of the conference we had the presentations devoted to feminist judging and feminist judgements.

Dr. Silvia Suteu, Lecturer in Public Law at the Faculty of Laws, University College London presented the topic Feminsit Judgements, and Dr. Ivana Jelic, Professor of the University of Montenegro Faculty of Law and Justice of the European Court of Human Rights spoke about The Case Law of the ECtHR relevant for Feminist Justice. The conference was ended with fruitful discussion.