Speaker - The Equality Effect Panel Discussion

January 24, 2011

The Equality Effect Panel Discussion- “The Legal Protection of Kenyan Girls from Rape: A Comparative Analysis of the Relevant Canadian and Kenyan Constitutional Provisions”

The focus of the equality effect panel discussion will be a comparative analysis of the constitutional equality provisions of Canada and Kenya, in the context of the equality effect's "160 Girls" project (the goal of the "160 Girls" project is to achieve justice for 160 girls from eastern Kenya who have been raped, and legal protection from rape for all girls in Kenya).

The panelists will provide background on the "160 Girls" project and will compare and contrast the relevant Kenyan and Canadian constitutional equality provisions that will be relevant to the "160 Girls" project (at the express request of the equality effect's African partners, the Canadian experience with human rights law is the reference point for our equality work). Of particular interest is the evolution of the test for discrimination in the Canadian context, and the introduction of the new Kenyan Constitutional equality provisions in August, 2010, and the opportunities for developing an effective test for discrimination in the Kenyan context informed by the lessons learned from the Canadian experience.

Panelists:
Mary Eberts is the current Ariel F. Sallows Chair in Human Rights at the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, a human rights lawyer and author, and a Ph.D candidate in Law at the University of Toronto.

Christine Kung'u is a human rights lawyer from Nairobi, Kenya, and the former Project Coordinator and Legal Officer at WRAP (Women's Rights Assistance Program)in Nairobi, and an L.L.M. candidate at the University of Toronto.

Fiona Sampson is the Executive Director of the equality effect, a human rights lawyer, and has her Ph.D. in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School.

*THIS EVENT IS CO-SPONSORED BY THE FEMINISM & LAW WORKSHOP SERIES*

Read more about the event here.