The Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity at Georgetown Law
Our work to uncover and eliminate gender and racial disparities across public systems starts with the root causes of injustice and is directly informed by girls, gender-expansive youth, and women, ensuring that our research and policy recommendations are rooted in lived experiences.
Areas of focus
For the past ten years, the Center has worked to address the most urgent issues facing girls, gender-expansive youth, and women today. Across our many projects, we’ve developed six areas of focus.
Adultification Bias
Our research uncovered a form of bias Black women and girls are all too familiar with: adults view Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than their white peers, even in the 5-9 years old age bracket. We’re working to build community and share resources to overcome this form of bias.
Criminalization & the Justice System
Girls are often criminalized in response to the trauma they experience. As a result, they’re inappropriately involved in the juvenile justice system despite the need for support and the lack of risk to public safety they present. We offer analysis and policy recommendations to dismantle the abuse to prison pipeline.
Education & Pushout
Girls of color experience disproportionate rates of school discipline and pushout. We work to help identify harmful practices and present ways to transform schools into places where girls can heal, learn, and thrive.
Solutions: Restorative Justice & Other Interventions
We put a special focus on restorative justice practices as a means of strengthening school connection and improving health equity for all youth.
Trauma & Mental Health
We focus on girls’ unique experiences of trauma and identify means of improving mental healthcare and outcomes for girls and communities of color.
Youth Voice & Perspective
We center the voices of girls in identifying challenges, needs, strengths, and solutions though art and shared narratives.
The Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity at Georgetown Law is independently funded. We rely on donations and grants to conduct our work.
The latest contributions
Our focus includes education, healthcare, and the legal system, in service of a world where all girls and gender-expansive youth experience a childhood that is truly free. Check out these new and noteworthy updates on our work:
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