Upcoming judicial-education conference to focus on vulnerable populations

Program includes speakers discussing human trafficking, gender, cultural diversity

Upcoming judicial-education conference to focus on vulnerable populations

Together with the International Organization for Judicial Training (IOJT), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) has returned to host the 10th international conference which is focused on training the judiciary to deal with vulnerable communities.

Themed “Effective Judicial Education: Understanding Vulnerable Populations,” the IOJT will run from Sunday, October 30 to Thursday, November 3 in Ottawa. The theme of the conference is meant to be broad as this allows the speakers to cover a wide range of legal topics, such as human trafficking, gender-based violence, cultural diversity, and more.

This conference will include a mix of plenary sessions, panel discussions and workshops, which aims to:

  • identify areas of vulnerability and disadvantage of accused people, victims, witnesses – everyone who comes into the courtroom
  • provide tools and materials that assist in developing effective judicial education on issues of vulnerability and societal context
  • analyse and evaluate pedagogical techniques for delivering effective online and in-person, synchronous and asynchronous judicial education
  • address challenges that judges face in doing their job

Throughout the conference, speakers from around the world will provide the information and the inspiration by sharing their experiences with forms of vulnerability and how that vulnerability impacts their work.

“Effective judicial education assists judges in understanding not only the law but the reality of the people coming into the courtroom and the wider context of society,” it said in the course description. “Poverty, war, global warming, and unequal treatment of people based on gender, race, sexual orientation, and more are all factors that judges must consider.”

In between these formal sessions is time reserved for participants to network outside the conference, hold bilateral meetings and explore Ottawa.

The agenda for IOJT 2022 is still subject to change.

Interested applicants can register here.