Helena Kennedy

Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Women Studies (2011-2012)

The Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Women’s Rights is an initiative that draws on the University of Cambridge’s unparalleled expertise in the fields of gender studies and equality. It explores the many pressing aspects of women’s rights in the world, ranging from the importance of equality in development, religion, law and many other areas.

The Visiting Professorship in Women’s Rights has been made possible by the generous support of Carol Saper and is hosted by King’s College, Cambridge.

Helena Kennedy QC is a leading British barrister and an expert in human rights law, civil liberties and constitutional issues.

Helena Kennedy QC is a leading British barrister and expert in human rights law, civil liberties and constitutional issues.

In her first lecture, ‘Women Addressing the System: Has it Changed?’ Baroness Kennedy reviewed the changes that have taken place and the remaining challenges for women in the courts as defendants, victims and lawyers. She compellingly argued that although a veneer of equal opportunity and fairness now exists, the system itself resists fundamental change because of the law’s role in maintaining the status quo and its inability to counter the power of vested interests, particularly given the scarcity of women in senior positions in the judiciary.

In her second lecture ‘Women’s Rights and Women’s Woe: Who says Human Rights are Universal?’ she looked at how women fare internationally, especially in societies where brutal practices like female genital mutilation persist.

Her third lecture ‘Bought and Sold: Women and the Global Market’ was concerned with the impact of globalisation on human trafficking and the sexual abuse of women. In each of her lectures, but the second two in particular, her personal experiences as a practitioner were used to bring human rights issues to life.