Women's Experiences of Using Specialised Courts for Violence Against Women: Lessons from Ecuador
Institute of Global Innovation report by an international team of researchers including Birmingham Law School's Professor Kate Bedford
Despite significant legal reform to protect women in Ecuador from violence, it remains widespread. A team of researchers from the School of Law at the Universidad del Azuay, Ecuador, and academics affiliated with the Institute for Global Innovation at the University of Birmingham, investigated the extent to which these reforms are informed by women’s experiences and how useful they are in practice.
This report summarises the pilot study which incorporated both fieldwork and document analysis. Their 10 findings and subsequent recommendations highlight the need for a welfare system – unconnected to the criminal justice system – to assist survivors, and that it is essential that law enforcement works hand in hand with this. Stronger protections, both economic and from rights violations would make reporting violence and continuing a judicial process, a much safer option for many women.
Team of researchers and academic advisors:
Universidad del Azuay (School of Law)
- Dr Silvana Tapia Tapia
- Ms Tatiana Padrón Palacios
- Ms María Caridad Sánchez
- Dr Sebastián López Hidalgo
University of Birmingham
- Professor Kate Bedford (Birmingham Law School)
- Dr Caroline Bradbury-Jones