For more than two decades, Hon. Justice Nani Indrawati experienced the highs and lows of advancing to leadership positions within the judiciary. Throughout her journey, she has walked the leadership pathway away from her family.

“I navigated my own path to balance career and family. There were trials and errors, double standards, and stresses. It was not easy to be far from my family. However, I live by the principle that we must uphold integrity and never sacrifice either our career or our family,” she shared.

Now serving as Chair of Indonesia Women Judges Association (BPHPI), Hon. Justice Nani Indrawati is determined that no women judges should feel alone as they advance in their careers. Equally, she hopes all women judges can enjoy fulfilling family lives alongside their professional achievements.

On Tuesday 23 September 2025, accompanied by BPHPI board members and several women judges who serve as candidate mentors, Hon. Justice Indrawati met with the Hon. Justice Suzanne Christie of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), who has been working with her on women leadership for a number of years, to discuss the proposed mentoring program for women judges.

Supported by the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice Phase 3 (AIPJ3), the initiative is informed by a national survey of 690 women judges across different judiciary level and regions, covering themes of professional integrity, career development and resilience.

This initiative is about building a future where talented women judges can lead and thrive within Indonesia’s judiciary. “By supporting women judges into leadership, we are working toward genuine gender parity that will benefit generations to come. The FCFCOA is excited to be involved in this initiative. It is our hope that it will be fruitful for generations to come. Indonesia and Australia face similar challenges in retaining talented women judges and supporting them into leadership roles is critically important for gender parity,” said Hon. Justice Suzanne Christie.

As of October 2025, there are nine women justices in the Supreme Court of Indonesia – including the first two newly appointed Supreme Court justices for Religious Chamber (Lailatul Arofah and Muhayah), a historic milestone for the Supreme Court. The Administrative Chamber also welcomed Diana Malemita Ginting as a new Supreme Court justice.

The Indonesian Judges Association (IKAHI) has expressed its full support for this mentoring initiative, recognizing its potential to help individual women judges prepare for leadership roles and strengthen judicial institutions through inclusive and responsive leadership.