Meaza Ashenafi, Chief Justice of Ethiopia
Content created by Virtual Intern Nora Moest
The first female federal Chief Justice of Ethiopia and IVLP alumna, Meaza Ashenafi spent her lifetime breaking barriers through her contributions in the legal field.
She strives to promote and advocate for human rights and women's issues. Ashenafi looks forward to restoring public trust in the judiciary and ensuring judicial independence.
Co-founder of Enat Bank, the first bank targeted to women's economic empowerment, Ashenafi is dedicated to vocalizing the needs of marginalized women. She founded the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association to provide pro-bono services to women unable to afford a legal defense, created a word in Amharic to describe sexual harassment, and reformed the way the Ethiopian judicial system treats sexual harassment cases. Ashenafi is changing women's lives and inspiring the next generation of female lawyers.
Content edited by Sallie Bestul, Regina Navarro-Gomez, and Jenna Williams