Annie Jiagge facts for kids
Annie Ruth Jiagge (born Annie Ruth Baëta; 7 October 1918 – 12 June 1996) was a pioneering Ghanaian lawyer, judge, and activist for women's rights. She made history as the first woman in Ghana and the entire Commonwealth of Nations to become a judge. Annie Jiagge also played a key role in writing the Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. She helped start the organization that is now known as Women's World Banking, which helps women around the world.
Quick facts for kids
Annie Jiagge
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| President of the Court of Appeal | |
| In office 1980–1983 |
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| Judge of the Court of Appeal | |
| In office 1969–1980 |
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| Judge of the High Court of Justice | |
| In office 1961–1969 |
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| Judge of the Circuit Court | |
| In office 1959–1961 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Annie Ruth Baeta
7 October 1918 Lomé, French Togoland |
| Died | 12 June 1996 (aged 77) Accra, Ghana |
| Spouse | Fred Jiagge |
| Relations | Christian Gonçalves Kwami Baëta (brother) |
| Alma mater | Achimota College London School of Economics |
| Profession | |
Early Life and School
Annie Ruth Baeta was born on October 7, 1918, in Lomé, which was then called French Togoland. Her mother, Henrietta Baëta, was a teacher, and her father, Robert Domingo Baëta, was a minister. She was part of the Ewe people from southeastern Ghana and Togo.
Annie was one of eight children in the well-known Baëta family. Only she and three of her siblings, Christian, Lily, and William, lived to be adults. Her older brother, Christian Gonçalves Kwami Baëta, became a respected academic and minister. He helped create the University of Ghana in 1948. Annie's parents wanted her to have an English education. So, she lived in Keta, a coastal town, with her grandmother.
Annie went to Achimota College and earned her teaching certificate in 1937. From 1940 to 1946, she was a headmistress and teacher at the Evangelical Presbyterian Girls School. In 1940, the school buildings were damaged by the ocean. The girls had to move to the boys' school, which became very crowded.
Annie knew it would be hard to find money for new buildings. She had an idea! She turned the church choir into a drama group. They performed a musical called David the Shepherd Boy. The shows were a big success! The group was invited to perform in major cities in Ghana and Togo. Annie was able to raise enough money for a new school for the girls. It was built by December 1945.
Studying in London
Even though her time at the Evangelical Presbyterian Girls School was rewarding, Annie felt she wanted to do more. In 1945, she passed the London Matriculation Examination. Her brother Christian helped her apply to the University of London. Her mother also got loans to help her.
In 1946, Annie was accepted into the London School of Economics and Political Science. Some male students from Ghana tried to convince her to quit. They thought law studies were too hard for a woman. One even offered to help her study dress design in Paris. Annie told them she would go back to Ghana if she failed her first exam. She passed, and after that, the men stopped bothering her.
She earned her law degree (LLB) in 1949. The next year, she officially became a lawyer at Lincoln's Inn. While in London, Annie also spent her free time helping with religious and social work. She worked with youth camps organized by the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). She was even chosen to be on the World YWCA's main committee during her last years as a student.
Legal Career and Women's Rights
When Annie returned to Ghana in 1950, she started her own law practice. She also worked to set up a national YWCA in Ghana. A documentary film was even made to teach people about the organization.
Annie married Fred Jiagge on January 10, 1953. In June 1953, she stopped practicing law and became a magistrate, which is a type of judge. From 1955 to 1960, she was the president of the YWCA. In 1959, she and her husband adopted a child named Rheinhold. That same year, she became a judge for the Circuit Court.
Injustice eats me internally. I get very restless when I come in touch with it.
—Annie Jiagge
Annie Jiagge wanted to make sure visiting women had safe places to stay. She spoke with Ghana's president, Kwame Nkrumah, and convinced him that this project was important. In 1961, she led a successful effort that raised a lot of money for a YWCA women's hostel. That year, she became a judge of the High Court of Justice.
From 1961 to 1976, she was a council member of the University of Ghana. In 1962, she was chosen to represent Ghana on the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She worked hard for women's rights through her role at the United Nations until 1972. In 1966, she was elected to lead the Commission's reports.
During a meeting in Iran in 1967, the Commission was asked to create a document about ending discrimination against women. Annie Jiagge was worried they wouldn't finish it in time. So, she met with other team members, including Iranian Princess Princess Ashraf of Iran, and they drafted the document in just one night! This document was sent to all UN member countries for their thoughts and was later approved. This important document helped lead to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1979. In 1968, Annie Jiagge was elected to chair the Commission's 21st meeting.
In 1969, Annie Jiagge received the Grand Medal of Ghana and the Gimbles International Award for her humanitarian work. That same year, she was named a judge of the Court of Appeal, which was the highest court in Ghana at the time. She was the first woman to become a judge in this court. In 1974, she received an honorary law degree from the University of Ghana.
In 1975, she started the Ghana National Council on Women and Development and was its first leader. She organized a meeting for Ghanaian women to hear their ideas on "Equality, Development, and Peace." This was the theme of the 1975 International Women's Conference in Mexico. She learned that Ghanaian women really needed access to loans and financial help. She led Ghana's group to the conference. There, she and others promised money to start a women's bank. This led to the creation of Stitching to Promote Women's World Banking, now known as Women's World Banking, based in New York. She later served on the board of Women's World Banking in Ghana. Annie Jiagge also served as a president of the World Council of Churches from 1975 to 1983.
In 1979, she was part of the group that wrote the constitution for Ghana's Third Republic. From 1984 to 1991, she led the World Council of Churches' program to fight racism. She worked against apartheid, which was a system of racial separation in South Africa.
In 1980, Annie Jiagge was appointed President of the Court of Appeal. That year, she again led the Ghanaian group to the International Women's Conference in Copenhagen. She remained President of the Court of Appeal until she retired in 1983. She also helped plan the Fourth World Conference on Women as an advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General. In 1985, she was on a United Nations panel that looked into the activities of large companies in South Africa and Namibia. She also helped draft Ghana's Constitution in 1991.
From 1993 until her death, Annie Jiagge served on Ghana's Council of State. She passed away on June 12, 1996, in Accra. In 2009, the Ministry of Women and Children started the Justice Annie Jiagge Memorial Lectures to honor her. A boarding house at her old school, Achimota School, was named the Annie Baëta Jiagge House in her memory. This was to recognize her as a trailblazer in the legal field in Ghana.
Awards
- The Grand Medal of Ghana (1969)
- The Gimbles International Award (1969)
See also
In Spanish: Annie Jiagge para niños
