By United Nations
This year’s International Women’s Day highlights the urgent need to close the justice gap for women and girls worldwide.
International Women’s Day 2026 shines a spotlight on a critical issue: inequality in justice systems around the world. Despite decades of progress, women and girls are still not equal under the law anywhere on Earth. Globally, they hold only 64% of the legal rights that men enjoy, according to the latest UN data. This gap affects every stage of life — from safety and education to work, family life and economic opportunity.
The reality is stark. In more than half of the world’s countries, rape laws are not based on consent. Nearly three out of four nations still legally allow girls to be forced into marriage. And 44% of countries do not guarantee equal pay for work of equal value. In many places, women still face legal barriers to owning property, seeking divorce, passing citizenship to their children, or even working and moving freely without their husband’s permission.
Progress has been made — and it matters. Today, 87% of countries have laws against domestic violence, and more than 40 nations have strengthened constitutional protections for women and girls in the past decade. Yet laws alone are not enough. Survivors often face stigma, fear, financial barriers, and a lack of trust in institutions meant to protect them. As a result, justice remains out of reach for far too many.
At the same time, the world is witnessing troubling setbacks. In some places, hard-won rights are being rolled back, while new forms of violence — such as digital abuse — are increasing. For the 676 million women and girls living within 50 km of active conflict zones, justice systems are largely absent, and perpetrators act with impunity. Rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, with reported cases of sexual violence rising by 87% in just two years. When justice systems fail women and girls, the consequences go far beyond individual cases: trust in institutions erodes and the rule of law itself is weakened.
As UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminds us: “Women’s rights are human rights. And investing in women and girls is one of the surest ways to make the world a better place.” International Women’s Day is therefore not only a moment of reflection — it is a call to action. When women are not equal under the law, equality does not truly exist. Ensuring justice for all women and girls is essential for building fairer, stronger societies everywhere.
Now is the time to act. Support UN Women and women’s movements worldwide to help turn rights into reality for every woman and girl.
