26 Gender and Security Toolkit gendered needs of people in society. Specifically, it will play a role in gender-responsive oversight of the whole security sector. 3.6 Leads transformational change in society Where gender equality is promoted in and through the justice system, both formal and informal, there is the potential for transformational change within society. Where women and men, including LGBTI people, are treated equally, where gender-based crimes and other harms are dealt with seriously, and everyone has equal access to justice (and are aware of their rights and how to assert them), significant change in the wider society – beyond the justice sector – can occur. This is because the violence which is sustained by and, in turn, sustains inequalities, is reduced. It is also because equal protection of rights gradually results in the redistribution of property and other resources and, thus, over time, power and influence. Equal access to justice and equal protection of rights can thus significantly impact gender power relations and advance gender equality within society. Advancing gender equality, in turn, paves the way towards more peaceful, resilient and prosperous societies. Endnotes 1. Julie Mertus, Olja Hocevar van Wely and Women Waging Peace Policy Commission (2004) Women’s Participation in the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia: Transitional Justice for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Washington, DC: Hunter Alternatives Fund; UN Women (2011) Progress of the World’s Women 2011–2012: In Pursuit of Justice, New York: United Nations. 2. UNDP, UNICEF and UN Women (2012) Informal Justice Systems: Charting a Course for Human Rights-Based Engagement, New York: United Nations.