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Last fall, UVic law student Jennifer
Bond stood outside the United
Nations in New York City pinching
herself in disbelief. Bond and
fellow student Laurel Sherret were
about to make a presentation to 60
members of the UN community
dealing with the obligation to intervene
in humanitarian crises.
“It was unbelievable, thrilling,”
says Bond, who graduates this
month as one of the faculty’s top
students. “Mostly we were excited
to be there and have the opportunity
to present something that
could really make a difference.”
Bond and Sherret’s report, “A
Sight for Sore Eyes: Bringing Gender
Vision to the Responsibility to
Protect Framework,” written while
interning at the International Women’s
Rights Project (IWRP) through
UVic’s Centre for Global Studies,
advocated the inclusion of the perspectives
of women and children in
the UN’s protection plans.
Their recommendations, well
received by the UN representatives,
were mentioned in Canada’s submission
to the UN Security Council
shortly after the presentation.
“It was gratifying,” says Bond, “and a highlight of my three-year
law program which has been
wonderful—especially the combination
of academic study and
community involvement.”
The blend of theory and practice
works well for Bond, who
chose law for the intellectual
challenge but loves to roll up her
sleeves and get involved in community
affairs. During her degree,
in addition to her women’s rights
work, Bond also advocated for
clients of the Together Against
Poverty Society and chaired the
community board for the Environmental
Law Centre.
Bond will be spending the
coming years working within the
justice system at the Alberta Court
of Appeal and the Supreme Court
of Canada. But first, she’s working
on another report for IWRP, this
time drawing links among HIV/
AIDS, gender and democracy in
southern Africa.
This work will take her to several
high-level meetings in Britain,
but Bond is not quite so disbelieving
this time: “Now I’m confident
in the ability of law to eff ect positive
change,” she says.
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