8th international EFJCA Conference | 30 November & 1 December 2026 | Portlaoise (Ireland)

Bio Shazia Choudhry

Shazia Choudhry, Professor of Law at the University of Oxford and Tutorial Fellow at Wadham College, was nominated in 2024 by the UK Government as its candidate for election to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

An Academic Bencher at the Inner Temple and qualified Solicitor, she became a Commissioner of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in January 2026. Her advisory work includes serving as Specialist Legal Adviser to UK parliamentary committees (2014–15, 2019, 2024, 2026) and internationally as consultant to the Council of Europe, UNFPA, the United Nations, and evaluator for the European Commission.

Presentation 'The Family Justice Response to Allegations of Domestic Abuse: The Findings of a Six Country Empirical Study in Europe'

The contribution - The Family Justice Response to Domestic Abuse is a major international research project led by Professor Shazia Choudhry at the University of Oxford. Drawing on the experiences of survivors, judges, lawyers and court-appointed experts across six European jurisdictions, the project examines how family justice systems respond to allegations of domestic abuse and the impact of those responses on women and children.

Shazia will present the project's key findings, highlighting the challenges survivor face in family court proceedings, the importance of recognising domestic abuse within decisions about child arrangements, and the reforms needed to improve safety, justice and access to effective remedies for families affected by abuse.