Women’s rights are facing setbacks globally, with women currently holding only 64% of the legal rights available to men worldwide.
This is according to a report by the United Nations titled “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls”
The report says that despite decades of advocacy and policy reforms, women and girls are still not legally equal to men in any country, as many legal systems continue to limit their freedoms and fail to adequately protect them from abuse and discrimination.
The report warns that many justice systems are failing the very women and girls they are meant to protect.
What the UN report says
According to the report released ahead of International Women’s Day 2026, women and girls face serious legal barriers that expose them to abuse, injustice and impunity.
The report notes that in many countries, laws are being reshaped in ways that silence women’s voices and weaken protections against violence and discrimination.
- It revealed that in more than half of the world’s countries, rape laws are not based on consent, while nearly three out of four nations still legally allow girls to be forced into marriage.
- Additionally, 44% of countries lack laws guaranteeing equal pay for work of equal value, and about 54% do not have a consent-based definition of rape.
- The report also states that in several parts of the world, women still face restrictions in owning property, seeking divorce, passing citizenship to their children, or even working and moving freely without their husband’s permission.
- Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, said denying women and girls access to justice weakens entire societies.
- “When women and girls are denied justice, the damage goes far beyond any single case. Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened,” she said.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said ensuring equality before the law and investing in women and girls is essential to building a better and fairer world.
More details
Despite the setbacks, the report notes that some progress has been made.
- Currently, about 87% of countries have laws against domestic violence, and more than 40 nations have strengthened constitutional protections for women and girls over the past decade.
- However, the report warns that legal reforms alone are not enough, as many survivors of abuse still face stigma, fear, financial barriers and lack of trust in institutions that are supposed to protect them.
- It also highlights growing concerns in conflict zones, where about 676 million women and girls live within 50 kilometres of active conflict areas, leaving them vulnerable to violence and limited access to justice.
In such environments, sexual violence has reportedly increased significantly, with rape often used as a weapon of war.
What you should know
International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on March 8, highlights the achievements of women while drawing attention to the challenges they continue to face globally.
- The 2026 theme, Give To Gain, encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration, reminding individuals, communities, and organizations that supporting women and girls benefits everyone.
- The campaign emphasizes that giving is not a subtraction but a form of intentional multiplication that, when women thrive, societies flourish.
The Give To Gain movement calls for practical action to advance gender equality in many forms like mentoring, education, advocacy, resources, visibility, or even sharing knowledge and encouragement.
