Judge Lorraine Schembri Orland (left)

Lorraine Schembri Orland, Judge, European Court of Human Rights 

• Parliamentary Correspondent for the Times of Malta, 1977-1986 

• Doctorate of Laws (LL.D.), University of Malta, 1981 

• Specialised in family and matrimonial law, including cross-border abductions, before Maltese courts, 1982-2012 

• President, National Council of Women, Malta, 1988-1992 

• Elected member of the Executive of the Conseil International des Femmes (CIF), 1988-1990 

• Vice-Chairperson of the Commission for the Advancement of Women, Malta, 1989-1997 

• Chairperson of the Interdepartmental Action Committee on Violence Against Women, 1990-1992 

• Member of a drafting Committee entrusted with a comprehensive legal review of the Maltese Constitution and ordinary laws in order to eliminate gender based discrimination, 1991-1993 

• Advisor on Gender mainstreaming within the public sector, 1991-1995 

• Expert Advisor to the Commonwealth Secretariat entrusted with the drafting of a Plan of Action on Women and Development for the Commonwealth, 1993-1995 

• Member of the National Consultative Committee on Bioethics, 2000-2001 

• Diploma in Canonical Law and Jurisprudence, 1995 

• Magister Juris in European Law, University of Malta, 1996 

• Drafter of a Domestic Violence Bill, 2000 

• Diploma in the Law and Administration of Trusts, 2004 

• Judge, First Hall, Civil Court of Malta, in its civil and constitutional competence, 2012-2019 

• Judge Civil Court (Voluntary Jurisdiction) on matters concerning the protection of minors, interdicted and incapacitated persons, Guardianships, Trusts, Foundations and cross-border successions, 2015-2018 

• Judge of the European Court of Human Rights since 20 September 2019. 

Lara Dimitrijevic (right)

Lara Dimitrijevic is a Maltese lawyer, activist, and researcher who has been working in the field of gender and women’s rights for the past 20 years. She specializes in family law, human rights, gender-based violence, human trafficking, and sexual and reproductive rights, and is recognized for her contribution to advancing gender equality and justice in Malta and across Europe. She obtained her Doctor of Laws (LLD) in 2008 and holds a BA in Legal and Humanistic Studies from the University of Malta, where she is also a casual lecturer. 

Dimitrijevic is the founder and director of the Women’s Rights Foundation (Malta) and has helped set up the Malta Observatory on Femicide. She has served as a delegate to Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE), was a member of the Commission on Domestic Violence, was a member of the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) Observatory on violence against women. She is currently part of the Council of Europe’s Network of Specialized Lawyers Assisting Women Victims of Violence, a member of the legal working group within WAVE and a member of the task force for sexual and reproductive rights within EWL. 

Dimitrijevic has also spearheaded campaigns and lobbied for the recognition of femicide and reproductive rights in Malta and pushed and challenged restrictive laws in this area, including Malta’s abortion ban.  

Her legal work has contributed to groundbreaking court decisions in areas of gender discrimination, domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual and reproductive rights and human trafficking. At the European level, she has acted as a national researcher for the European Observatory on Femicide and has been engaged by EIGE as a senior legal researcher on projects addressing femicide and victims’ access to justice. 

(Photo Credit: Therese Debono)