RESDAL Opens
Registration for International Webinar on Military Justice and the Prevention
of Sexual Harassment and Abuse: Emerging Institutional Challenges
The Latin
American Security and Defence Network (RESDAL) has opened registration for the
international webinar "Military Justice: Emerging Institutional
Challenges", to be held on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 10:00 am (EST).
Participation is free of charge, with prior registration required. Simultaneous
interpretation will be available in Spanish and English.
The session
responds to a persistent gap between institutional policy and operational
reality across the region's armed forces. While military justice systems have
increasingly incorporated gender-responsive policies and dedicated protocols
for handling harassment and abuse, commanders continue to rely primarily on
disciplinary channels to respond to it, within the boundaries set by national
law and the imperative of preserving unit cohesion and the chain of command.
The webinar will examine the limits of military jurisdiction relative to civil
justice, the role of civilian courts, the practice of disciplinary management,
the particular challenges faced by contingents deployed on UN peace operations,
the interface with the United Nations, and the institutional practices that
have proven effective in overcoming entrenched patterns of silence and
encouraging reporting.
The webinar
will feature presentations by Jean Carlo Mejía Azuero, Professor and
Researcher and Security, Defence and Human Rights Consultant at the Nueva
Granada Military University, and Nathalie Pabón Ayala, Researcher at
RESDAL and the National University of Colombia, on the doctrinal foundations of
military justice and its limits relative to civil jurisdiction; Dr. Mariana
Queiroz Aquino, Federal Judge of the Military Justice of the Union, Brazil,
on the disciplinary treatment of harassment and the institutional practices
that protect victims while reinforcing the chain of command; and Lieutenant
Colonel Nilufar Sultana, Chairman of the Department of Peace, Conflict and
Human Rights at the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), on how
military justice systems interact with personnel deployed on UN peace
operations.
This
webinar marks the fifth edition of RESDAL's series "Interregional
Dialogues from the Global South", developed within the framework of the
project "Women in Peace Operations: Supporting Inclusive Environments
through Interregional Collaboration and National Engagement". Previous
editions of the series have drawn strong participation from government
representatives, defence and security institutions, international organizations
and civil society across the Global South.
Dr. Mejía
Azuero and Ms. Pabón Ayala are also the authors of RESDAL's recent publication Military Justice: Exploring the
Essentials
,
which offers a comparative overview of the
foundations,
scope, and functioning of military criminal justice — including its treatment
of sexual harassment and abuse — and provides useful background reading ahead
of the session.
Building on
the interactive, dialogue-based format RESDAL has used successfully in 2024 and
2025, each module will combine a main presentation with contributions from
discussants and an open question-and-answer session with the audience. The
discussion aims to highlight good institutional practices, strengthen
interregional cooperation, and promote safer, more transparent, and accountable
environments within defence and security institutions.
Organized
by RESDAL, the webinar is supported by Global Affairs Canada within the
framework of the Elsie Initiative.
📅
Thursday, August 27, 2026 🕘 10:00 am (EST) 🎟️ Free event – registration required
🔗 Register here: https://us05web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B60CKp1NRfiIzcILHZ198g#/registration
