Botswana’s first female judge of the High Court, Unity Dow, is also an author who speaks powerfully on human rights. One of her biggest career highlights is making advancements in the laws concerning child support, rape, and married women’s property rights.

She was part of an historical ruling in 2006, allowing the Kalahari Bushmen to return to their ancestral land and continue with their hunting traditions.

Such is her commitment to women’s rights, that she started a women’s centre in her village and also established the Women and Law in Southern Africa Research Project. The International Women’s Rights Watch count Dow as one of its members.

Dow has extensive experience with world renowned organizations, including: The Urban Morgan Institute of Human Rights, International Association of Women Judges, International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Amnesty International, UNICEF and Africa Legal Aid.

The activist has covered  gender conflicts, poverty and Aids in her books, such as Far and Beyon’. Dow is an inspiring woman with an impressive track record of upholding human rights.

—JO