Fatima Jawari

Pioneering Ethiopian legal reformer who championed women's rights through legislative advocacy and grassroots activism.

Biography

Fatima Jawari (b. 1945) is a trailblazing Ethiopian legal scholar and activist whose work transformed women's rights in Ethiopia. A graduate of Addis Ababa University’s law school, she became the first female dean of the Faculty of Law in 1985, using her platform to advocate for gender equality. Her most significant achievement was leading the 2000 revision of Ethiopia’s Family Code, which granted women equal rights in marriage, divorce, and inheritance for the first time in the nation’s history.

Through her organization Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association, Jawari trained hundreds of female advocates and lobbied for anti-discrimination laws. Her 1995 testimony before the UN Commission on the Status of Women highlighted systemic legal barriers facing African women, influencing regional policy reforms. In 2005, she established the Ethiopian Women's Legal Aid Center, providing free legal services to marginalized women.

Despite threats from conservative groups opposing her reforms, Jawari persisted in her advocacy. Her landmark 2010 legal case vs. Ministry of Justice secured court rulings requiring equal pay for women in public sector jobs. Her work inspired similar movements across East Africa, with Ugandan and Tanzanian lawmakers citing her legal frameworks as models.