Unity Dow
Encyclopedia
Unity Dow is a judge, human rights
activist, and writer from Botswana
. She came from a rural background that tended toward traditional values
of the African kind. Her mother could not read English
, and in most cases decision-making was done by men.
She studied law at the University of Botswana and Swaziland (LLB 1983), which included 2 years spent studying at the University of Edinburgh
in Scotland
. Her Western education caused a mixture of respect and suspicion.
As a lawyer she earned acclaim for her stances on women's rights. She was the plaintiff in a case that allowed the children of women by foreign nationals to be considered Batswana (Attorney General of Botswana v Unity Dow (1992)
). Tradition, and prior precedent, stated nationality only descended from the father. She later became Botswana's first female High Court judge.
As a novelist she has now five books. These books often deal with issues concerning the struggle between Western and traditional values. They also involve her interest in gender issues and her nation's poverty. May 2010 her latest book was published by Harvard Press 'Saturday is for Funerals' which describes the AIDS problem in Africa. Unity Dow also contributed to the book "Schicksal Afrika" (Destiny Africa) by the former German President Horst Koehler in 2009.
Dow was one of three judges who (13 December 2006) decided the now internationally acclaimed Kgalagadi
(San, Bushmen or Basarwa) court decision, concerning the rights of the San to return to their ancestral lands.
Dow has been a visiting professor of Law at the School of Law, Columbia University, New York, during the fall semester 2009, and further at Washington and Lee, Lexington USA, 2009, and University of Cincinnati, Ohio USA , 2009.
After retiring from the High Court Botswana in 2009, after 11 years of service, she opened the Legal Firm "Dow & Associates" in Botswana February 2010.
February 2010 Dow was sworn in as Justice of the IICDRC (Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute Resolution Court) of Kenya by the Kenyan President to serve implementing the new constitution in Kenya.
July 14, 2010, Dow was awarded the French Medal of the Légion d'honneur de France by representatives of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy for her human rights activities.
Women of the World Summit March 10-12, 2011 in New York mentioned Unity Dow as one of 150 women who shake the world (http://www.thedailybeast.com/interactive/women-in-the-world/150-women-who-shake-the-world/)
Unity Dow is currently serving her second term as Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2009. In 2006 she was elected to the Executive Committee and re-elected in 2008. March 2011 she was elected the Chairperson of the Executive Committee succeeding Dr. Rajeev Dhavan, India, effective June 2011.
Unity Dow received Awards and Honours (selected):
Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio USA: Doctor of Laws: Honorary degree awarded May 19th 2001;
Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey: The William Brennan Human Rights Award,April 14th 2003;
The Vanguard Women Leadership Award: March 2004;
St. Michael College, Vermont USA: Doctor of Laws: Honorary Degree awarded May 2007;
The Phyllis N. Stern Distinguished Lectureship Award: July 11th 2008;
The Prominent Woman in International Law Award: March 26th 2009 in Washington DC;
University of Edinburgh: Doctor of Laws: Honorary Degree awarded July 30th 2009;
French Medal of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) July 2010;
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist, and writer from Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. She came from a rural background that tended toward traditional values
Traditional values
Traditional values refer to those beliefs, moral codes, and mores that are passed down from generation to generation within a culture, subculture or community.-Summary:Since the late 1970s in the U.S., the term "traditional values" has become synonymous...
of the African kind. Her mother could not read English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and in most cases decision-making was done by men.
She studied law at the University of Botswana and Swaziland (LLB 1983), which included 2 years spent studying at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Her Western education caused a mixture of respect and suspicion.
As a lawyer she earned acclaim for her stances on women's rights. She was the plaintiff in a case that allowed the children of women by foreign nationals to be considered Batswana (Attorney General of Botswana v Unity Dow (1992)
Attorney General of Botswana v Unity Dow (1992)
The plaintiff, Unity Dow, was a citizen of Botswana, married to a non-citizen, whose children had been denied citizenship under a provision of the Citizenship Act 1984 that conferred citizenship on a child born in Botswana only if "a) his father was a citizen of Botswana; or b) in the case of a...
). Tradition, and prior precedent, stated nationality only descended from the father. She later became Botswana's first female High Court judge.
As a novelist she has now five books. These books often deal with issues concerning the struggle between Western and traditional values. They also involve her interest in gender issues and her nation's poverty. May 2010 her latest book was published by Harvard Press 'Saturday is for Funerals' which describes the AIDS problem in Africa. Unity Dow also contributed to the book "Schicksal Afrika" (Destiny Africa) by the former German President Horst Koehler in 2009.
Dow was one of three judges who (13 December 2006) decided the now internationally acclaimed Kgalagadi
Kgalagadi
Kgalagadi is a district in southwest Botswana, lying along the country's border with Namibia and South Africa. The administrative center is Tshabong. Kgalagadi covers a vast area of the Kalahari Desert. It has a total area of 105,200 km², and has a population of only 42,000...
(San, Bushmen or Basarwa) court decision, concerning the rights of the San to return to their ancestral lands.
Dow has been a visiting professor of Law at the School of Law, Columbia University, New York, during the fall semester 2009, and further at Washington and Lee, Lexington USA, 2009, and University of Cincinnati, Ohio USA , 2009.
After retiring from the High Court Botswana in 2009, after 11 years of service, she opened the Legal Firm "Dow & Associates" in Botswana February 2010.
February 2010 Dow was sworn in as Justice of the IICDRC (Interim Independent Constitutional Dispute Resolution Court) of Kenya by the Kenyan President to serve implementing the new constitution in Kenya.
July 14, 2010, Dow was awarded the French Medal of the Légion d'honneur de France by representatives of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy for her human rights activities.
Women of the World Summit March 10-12, 2011 in New York mentioned Unity Dow as one of 150 women who shake the world (http://www.thedailybeast.com/interactive/women-in-the-world/150-women-who-shake-the-world/)
Unity Dow is currently serving her second term as Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists. She was first elected in 2004 and re-elected in 2009. In 2006 she was elected to the Executive Committee and re-elected in 2008. March 2011 she was elected the Chairperson of the Executive Committee succeeding Dr. Rajeev Dhavan, India, effective June 2011.
Unity Dow received Awards and Honours (selected):
Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio USA: Doctor of Laws: Honorary degree awarded May 19th 2001;
Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey: The William Brennan Human Rights Award,April 14th 2003;
The Vanguard Women Leadership Award: March 2004;
St. Michael College, Vermont USA: Doctor of Laws: Honorary Degree awarded May 2007;
The Phyllis N. Stern Distinguished Lectureship Award: July 11th 2008;
The Prominent Woman in International Law Award: March 26th 2009 in Washington DC;
University of Edinburgh: Doctor of Laws: Honorary Degree awarded July 30th 2009;
French Medal of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) July 2010;