“It is Crucial that Courts Uphold the Rights of Individuals” – 5in10 with Beate Streicher
Beate Streicher is a legal professional with extensive experience in international law, human rights, and advocacy. She is currently serving as a legal advisor on international law at Amnesty International Germany. She is skilled in drafting submissions for legislative processes and international monitoring, with a deep understanding of human rights law and a strong commitment to social justice and equity. Her re:constitution research project (2024/25) examines gender stereotypes in court proceedings and decisions, and her mobility period is being conducted at the Council of Europe Programme Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals. Beate has achieved success in both state examinations, with experience at the German Constitutional Court, the European Parliament, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Previously, she worked as a student research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg. She holds a solid academic foundation from Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg and completed two exchange semesters at Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, focusing on International, European, and National Public Law.

How would you explain your research to someone who is not an expert?
My research project explores how gender stereotypes influence national court proceedings and decisions, and how human rights education for legal professionals can help mitigate them. It aims to deepen our understanding of how these biases manifest and hinder access to justice. During my research stay at the Council of Europe’s Human Rights for Legal Professionals Programme, I am identifying practices and lessons learned from Council of Europe training programmes that can be applied to further capacity-building efforts.
What were the academic or personal inspirations that led to your current research?
Gender stereotypes are omnipresent and deeply entrenched in society. This is, of course, also true for stereotypes related to other forms of discrimination. Working for Amnesty International in Germany, I am concerned with the rise of parties and actors that more and more openly challenge universal human rights. In such a societal climate, where anti-gender movements try to exploit of deeply entrenched stereotypes, it is crucial that courts uphold the rights of individuals affected. Unfortunately, traditional legal education often does not sufficiently address stereotypes or power dynamics in society. This gap inspired me to investigate specific training courses that tackle these issues, particularly regarding gender discrimination.
Which stations of your professional journey were particularly informative to you?
I am deeply grateful for my time as a student research assistant to Professor Anne Peters, the director of the Max Planck Institute, where I worked for four years. This experience greatly enriched my legal education. The institute’s work is not only of extremely high academic quality but also engages with current political developments, including critical perspectives on the law. Additionally, stays at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the German Constitutional Court and the European Parliament gave me valuable insights into the formulation of human rights standards and accountability mechanisms for their implementation. Finally, my current role at Amnesty International allows me to engage in a dynamic mix of legal, political, and strategic work, focusing on the practical implementation of human rights standards and collaborating with outstanding colleagues.
How are you conducting research? What are your most important research methods?
I use a multi-method approach. On one hand, I analyse key cases from the European Court of Human Rights to examine where gender stereotypes have influenced national legal proceedings and decisions. On the other hand, I conduct interviews with experts involved in creating Council of Europe judicial training programs on this topic. Throughout my project, I employ an intersectional lens. Intersectionality is a concept developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw that explains how discrimination related to social identities such as gender, class, race, age, disability, and many others overlaps and reinforces systemic power imbalances in society.
What book, article, film, exhibition, or song would you recommend, and why?
I would recommend the book “Unlearn Patriarchy”, where brilliant authors share their perspectives on various aspects of patriarchy in an accessible way. Unfortunately, only the title is in English, while the volume is in German, but I hope it will be translated soon.
Citation: “It is Crucial that Courts Uphold the Rights of Individuals” – 5in10 with Beate Streicher, in: TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research, 13.02.2025, https://trafo.hypotheses.org/54975
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Forum Transregionale Studien (February 13, 2025). “It is Crucial that Courts Uphold the Rights of Individuals” – 5in10 with Beate Streicher. TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research. Retrieved March 25, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/13b7d