Our “Breaking Bias, Building Justice” project aims to identify and address conscious and unconscious bias in the family court system and to support initiatives to increase transparency and training. We will scrutinise published judgements for bias to evidence how gender inequality flourishes in a non-transparent system and report on our findings in 2025. Our project will encourage more reporting on family court hearings by journalists and legal bloggers to strengthen transparency and accountability in this pivotal state institution. It will also call for family court judges to have equivalence with criminal court judges, and receive mandatory training on rape myths as well as support Women’s Aid and others in their calls for improved judicial training on domestic abuse.
Ultimately, we want to see an equitable and accountable family court system that victim-survivors of gender-based abuse can trust.
Our Partners
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Katy Ashworth Campaign AmbassadorKaty Ashworth is Right to Equality’s Ambassador for this Campaign and a survivor of domestic abuse who has been through the family courts.
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Riverlight Campaign PartnerRiverlight is a non-profit that provides support services and resources to survivors and campaigns for legal change that will give victims greater safety and care.
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YOU! Would you like to write for us?If you are an accredited journalist or legal blogger interested in attending Family Court, Right to Equality is providing financial support to attend court and write about your experience. Email us with the subject line Family Court Blog to learn ...
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What are our Goals?
Outcome 1: Evidence the need for policy reform to address gender bias in family court
Outcome 2: Increase reporting and public awareness of private law family court proceedings
Outcome 3: Mandatory training for family court judges on gender-based violence, including rape and sexual abuse
We support calls from Women’s Aid and others for mandatory training on violence against women and girls. We are specifically calling for training on rape myths and stereotypes for the family court judiciary, as this is already mandatory for judges in criminal court.
How will we make change?
a) Create a comprehensive report of gender-bias in the family courts
Identify sexist bias in cases post-2017 when PD12J came into force, focusing on judgments available through platforms such as Bailii, the National Archives, and judiciary websites. We will present our findings and recommendations in a comprehensive report in 2025.
b) Encourage more reporting of family court proceedings
Work with journalists and legal bloggers to support and encourage reporting on family court proceedings.
c) Advocate for judicial training to improve the family justice response to gender-based violence, particularly rape and sexual abuse.
In order to oversee rape cases, judges in criminal courts undertake mandatory training on sexual offences and rape myths every three years. There is not the same requirement for family court judges who are making pivotal decisions that impact on the welfare of victims and children.
d) Engage the public, MPs and stakeholders
Use social media and other media outlets to disseminate report findings and recommendations. Engage partners and stakeholders via meetings and events to create momentum on calls for action.
“Judicial bias perpetuates the suffering of domestic abuse victims by creating additional layers of trauma within the legal process- no one should experience harm from the court in the process of seeking safety from abuse. We need bias training, education, and transparency in the legal system in order to protect survivors.”
– Katy Ashworth