Indian judges swot up on women's issues

Ten senior Indian judges have begun a month-long course on women's issues and the law at Warwick University's Law School.

The programme was devised after the Chief Justice of India pointed out a gap in awareness of women's issues in the Indian legal training system.

The 10 judges will visit Crown and County courts, rape suites, employment tribunals and the Equal Opportunities Commission. They will also meet police officers who work with cases of domestic violence and a number of prominent lawyers to hear about the latest research on women and the law.

The programme was jointly conceived by the university and the National Judicial Academy of India after a seminar held by the Indian government's Department of Women and Child Development at which the Chief Justice highlighted a gender gap in the Indian judiciary.