Justice Education Society of British Columbia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2010
Contact: Evelyn Neaman
604.537.0798; Evelyn.Neaman(at)JusticeEducation.ca

MEDIA ADVISORY

International Women’s Day Interview Opportunity – Ethiopian Women’s Rights Expert

Vancouver, BC - Semhal Getachew, a women’s rights expert from Ethiopia participating in International Women’s Day activities throughout BC, is available for interviews Saturday, March 6, and Sunday, March 7.

Getachew is able to provide insight on a wide variety of topics related to women’s rights, including:

• Femicide, the systemic killing of women and girls
• The movement in Ethiopia to change societal acceptance of violence against women
• The Justice Education Society’s Building Effective Justice Systems project, which aims to strengthen Ethiopia’s justice system regarding violence against women

Events she will be speaking at this week include:

• March 6: International Women's Day: Women's Voices at the Table (Vancouver)
• March 7: Oxfam BC/Yukon’s annual general meeting (Vancouver)
• March 9: Women's Silenced Voices: The Issue of Femicide from Ethiopia to the Highway of Tears (Prince George)

To arrange to speak with Getachew, please contact: Evelyn Neaman, International Program Manager, at 604.537.0798 or Evelyn.Neaman(at)JusticeEducation.ca at any time over the weekend.

About Semhal Getachew
Ms. Semhal Getachew is a women’s rights advocate in Ethiopia. She received her LLB from Addis Ababa University in 2003 and then worked in the Federal High Court of Ethiopia as an assistant judge as well as in the Supreme Court as a deputy registrar. She also worked for the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association as an assistant researcher and the project coordinator for the Justice Education Society’s Joining Hands Against Domestic Violence project.

About the Justice Education Society
Established in 1989 as the Law Courts Education Society, the Justice Education Society is dedicated to improving access to the justice system through hands-on, targeted, two-way education between the public and those working in the system.

About the Justice Education Society’s International Program
While most of the Society's work is in Canada, it is also a leader in justice reform programs abroad. In the span of 20 years, the Society has been involved in projects related to good governance and institution-building in Guatemala, Mexico, Montenegro, Ethiopia, South Africa, Somalia, Vietnam and China.

Getachew’s visit is possible with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency.

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