Christiane Taubira facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christiane Taubira
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Taubira in January 2016
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| Minister of Justice | |
| In office 16 May 2012 – 27 January 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Jean-Marc Ayrault Manuel Valls |
| Preceded by | Michel Mercier |
| Succeeded by | Jean-Jacques Urvoas |
| Regional Councillor of French Guiana | |
| In office 26 March 2010 – 31 August 2012 |
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| Member of the National Assembly for French Guiana's 1st constituency |
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| In office 2 April 1993 – 16 June 2012 |
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| Preceded by | Élie Castor |
| Succeeded by | Gabriel Serville |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 19 July 1994 – 19 July 1999 |
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| Constituency | France |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Christiane Marie Taubira
2 February 1952 Cayenne, French Guiana, France |
| Political party | Walwari |
| Other political affiliations |
Radical Party of the Left |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Jean-Marie Taubira (brother) |
| Alma mater | Panthéon-Assas University Paris-Sorbonne University |
| Signature |  |
Christiane Marie Taubira (born 2 February 1952) is a French politician. She served as the Minister of Justice for France from 2012 to 2016. During this time, she worked under Presidents Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls.
Before becoming Minister of Justice, she was a member of the National Assembly of France for French Guiana. She held this role from 1993 to 2012. She was also a member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1999.
In 2022, she tried to become a candidate for the 2022 French presidential election. She had also run for president in 2002. However, she did not get enough support to qualify for the 2022 election.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Christiane Taubira was born on 2 February 1952 in Cayenne, French Guiana, France. She grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, raised by their single mother. Her brother, Jean-Marie Taubira, is also a politician.
Christiane Taubira studied economics at Panthéon-Assas University. She also studied sociology at Paris-Sorbonne University. She learned about the food industry at a French agricultural center.
Political Journey
Starting in Politics
Christiane Taubira became the President of the Walwari Party. In 1993, she was elected as a Deputy to the French National Assembly. A Deputy is like a representative who helps make laws for the country. She was re-elected in 1997.
Working in Europe
In 1994, Taubira became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). This meant she represented France in the European Parliament. This group works on laws and policies for countries in Europe. She worked on committees that focused on development, culture, and education.
In 1997, she joined the Socialist Party. The Prime Minister at the time asked her to lead a group looking into gold mining in French Guiana.
National Politics and Key Laws
Christiane Taubira was very important in creating a law on 21 May 2001. This law officially recognized the Atlantic slave trade and slavery as a "crime against humanity." This was a big step for France.
In 2002, she ran for President of France. She was a candidate for the Left Radical Party. She received 2.32% of the votes. After this, she became the party's vice-president.
From 2010 to 2012, Taubira also served as a Regional Councillor for French Guiana. This role involved working on issues specific to her home region.
Minister of Justice (2012–2016)
In 2012, Christiane Taubira was chosen as the Minister of Justice. This meant she was in charge of France's justice system and laws. She was one of the few black women to hold such an important position in the French government. She quickly became known for her strong and modern ideas.
One of her most important achievements was introducing Law 2013-404 in 2013. This law made same-sex marriage in France legal. This was a major change and an important promise from President François Hollande.
In 2013, she also supported changes to land ownership in France's Caribbean areas. This was meant to help make up for the history of slavery.
Taubira resigned from her role as Minister of Justice in January 2016. She disagreed with President Hollande's plan to take away French citizenship from people with dual nationality who were found guilty of terrorism. This was a sensitive topic after the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015.
Later Career and Presidential Bid
After leaving her ministerial role, Taubira continued to be active in politics. She supported Benoît Hamon in the 2017 presidential election. Later, she encouraged voters to support Emmanuel Macron.
In January 2022, Christiane Taubira announced she would run for president again. She won a "people's primary" vote, which aimed to choose one candidate for left-wing parties. However, she did not get enough official endorsements from elected officials to qualify for the election.
Views on Important Issues
Immigration
Christiane Taubira has spoken about immigration, especially in French Guiana. In 2007, she said that people from French Guiana had become a minority in their own land due to immigration. More recently, she has called for support for refugees in France.
Facing Challenges
Like many female politicians, Christiane Taubira has faced unfair and racist comments.
In 2013, a politician from another party shared a racist cartoon comparing Taubira to a monkey. Taubira's party took legal action. The person was found guilty of public insult and fined.
In November 2013, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights spoke out against racist attacks on Taubira. This included a magazine cover that showed her picture with a racist caption. The magazine's editor was fined for this. Taubira said these comments were "extreme violence" and denied her "belonging to the human race."
Awards and Recognition
- In 2016, she received an honorary degree in Laws and Human Rights from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in the United States.
- On 26 September 2016, she was given the Sash rank of the Order of the Aztec Eagle by the President of Mexico.
- She received an honorary law degree from the University of Geneva in Switzerland on 9 October 2020.
- In 2018, she also received an honorary degree from the Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. This was for her work defending diversity as France’s Minister of Justice.
Personal Life
Christiane Taubira has been married twice and has four children with her second husband, Roland Delannon. They are now divorced. Roland Delannon is a politician who supports independence for French Guiana.
Books Written by Christiane Taubira
- L'Esclavage raconté à ma fille ("Slavery explained to my daughter"), 2002
- Codes noirs : de l'esclavage aux abolitions, 2006 (introduction)
- Rendez-vous avec la République ("Meeting with the Republic"), 2006
- Égalité pour les exclus : le politique face à l'histoire et à la mémoire coloniales, 2009
- Mes météores : combats politiques au long cours, 2012
- Paroles de liberté ("Words of Freedom"), 2014
- Murmures à la jeunesse, 2016
- Nous habitons la Terre, 2017
- Nuit d'épine ("Thorny Night"), 2019
- Gran Balan, 2020
Images for kids
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Christiane Taubira's signature
See also
In Spanish: Christiane Taubira para niños
