Sisters in law: Meet young women studying the justice system and how it affects their rights
Sandra Egboro works as a legal officer with the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), a nonprofit promotes and protects human rights in Nigeria. (Courtesy of Sandra Egboro)
Until 2016, Zimbabwean law allowed girls as young as 16 years old to legally marry, but for boys, the age was 18. That two-year difference had a major impact on the lives of Zimbabwe’s girls. Nearly one-third were married by the time they turned 18, most leaving school. That was until Loveness Mudzuru, 20, and Ruvimbo Tsopodzi, 19, took their case to Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court. The two young women, both married at 16, claimed that Zimbabwe’s Marriage Act was discriminatory because the legal age to marry differed based on gender. In a shocking decision, the court ruled in the girls’ favour and changed the law so that no person can marry before 18.
Every day in every country, courts make decisions that can grant or restrict the rights of girls, like Loveness and Ruvimbo’s case. Yet, when young people want to call for change, they are often drawn to more visible advocacy methods like speeches, marches, petitions or speaking out on social media. But, “In the right circumstances, the justice system can be a really powerful tool for girls,” says Sabrina de Souza, Advocacy Manager at Malala Fund.
“There is a belief that because they are youth, because they are not of voting age, that their voice doesn’t really matter, which is really incorrect,” Sabrina adds. “Because it impacts them and affects them so much, there is a really key role for them to speak out — especially when laws are working against them and potentially being really regressive and harmful to them.”
Anna Salvatore with other High School SCOTUS bloggers Caleb Horn, Kai Franks, Joe Hanlon and Brenna Donohue. (Courtesy of Anna Salvatore)
Even if most teenagers are too young to vote, there is no age restriction on bringing a case to court in most countries. Though, Sabrina warns, “It’s certainly a more difficult [advocacy tool]...but there are examples where it has worked really well.”
Even if you’re not planning on challenging laws, understanding your country’s judicial system is still valuable. “It’s just important to know your rights for practical reasons,” says Anna Salvatore, the high school student from New Jersey, U.S. behind the blog High School SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States).
“Some people think that the Supreme Court is kind of far away, it’s a bunch of old men sitting in [Washington,] D.C. It’s irrelevant. Really it isn’t irrelevant to them. There are cases...that directly deal with things [that affect students] like the right to say things in school in the hallway,” she adds.
Anna started the blog in February 2018 to write about how Supreme Court cases affect high schoolers. She became obsessed with SCOTUS after reading an article that linked to the transcript of a Supreme Court oral argument, which is when the lawyers present their side of the case and the justices ask questions. At first, the text in the argument seemed kind of complicated, but the more Anna read, she was excited to realise she could understand it. She sought out more cases to study and began writing about them. Now her blog has evolved into a network of teen contributors from around the country who analyse a variety of court cases that they find interesting.
Through High School SCOTUS, Anna is hoping that more of her peers develop an interest in learning about and analysing law — and not just those who hope to become lawyers. For those curious about where to begin with the law, she recommends following Supreme Court decisions, reading major newspapers or simply “going on a Wikipedia rampage.”
While Anna likes to write about the law as a hobby, in Nigeria, 23-year-old Sandra Egboro has made it her professional mission to help people pursue justice. Growing up, Sandra always knew she wanted to defend and help humanity — she just wasn’t sure how. It wasn’t until she was 9 years old when a life-changing experience with her country’s legal system would give her the answer.
Sandra’s father, a zoologist, had to face trial for an incident that occurred where he worked. After three years — “the longest three years of our lives” — her father was free from his struggle with the court system. But the experience left a lasting impression.
“The justice system can be a really powerful tool for girls.”
“The entire incident ignited a whirlwind of emotions,” Sandra recalls. “My father’s encounter with the law empowered me to be a voice to those who may find themselves silenced or disadvantaged.” Now, Sandra works as a legal officer with the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP), a nonprofit organisation that works to promote and protect human rights in Nigeria. Malala Fund supports LEDAP’s work to implement the Universal Basic Education Act, which guarantees free education through lower secondary school.
Whether through studying the law or challenging it in court, young women like Sandra, Anna, Loveness and Ruvimbo are critical to ensuring our governments continue to protect the rights of young women. The justice system is “the only way that we’re going to make a shift in countries where something is guaranteed on paper, but in reality there’s no protection for the law’s enforcement. Only when people like amazing activists and others start to speak up and report where their legal rights are being violated in some way, are we able to set that precedent and they can build momentum in their community,” adds Sabrina. “It changes the norm of ignoring or not being aware of their rights. And that’s really how change kind of happens over time.”
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