Ethiopia's chief justice wants gender-based violence tackled

The chief justice of Ethiopia’s federal supreme court has told the BBC she is working to build an independent court that will deal with gender-based violence in the country effectively and objectively.

Meaza Ashenafi told the BBC Hardtalk programme’s Zeinab Badawi that, on a personal level, she was “disturbed” by the reports of violence, but was required to be independent in her role.

“There are procedures, there are rules, and there are a lot of technicalities and the court functions in a very specific way and that is one of the challenges when you head the judiciary,” she said.

Ms Ashenafi was appointed to the position in 2018 after a long career of activism on behalf of women.

Watch the full interview on Friday 15 July on BBC World News or watch again on BBC iPlayer (UK only)

16 July 2022