This year’s International Women’s Day focuses on rights, action and justice for all women and girls. 

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Worldwide, women hold just 64 per cent of the legal rights enjoyed by men.

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Legal discrimination can shape every aspect of a woman’s life. She may be prevented from owning property, seeking a divorce, or taking a job without her husband’s permission. In more than 40 countries, marital rape is not recognized as a crime. Other laws restrict women’s access to education, their ability to pass on citizenship to their children, or even their freedom of movement outside the home.

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Where legal protections do exist, discrimination and weak enforcement mean women still struggle to access courts and legal support.

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Many of these unjust laws have been on the books for centuries. But today, we are also witnessing a dangerous new trend. Amid rising authoritarianism, growing political instability, and a renewed push to entrench patriarchy, hard-won advances are being rolled back — from fairer work protections to sexual and reproductive rights.

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We must unite to deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Beijing+30 Action Agenda. By fighting discriminatory laws and practices — and defending the progress already achieved — we can ensure the dignity, opportunity and freedom all women deserve.

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When we are not equal under the law, we are not equal. It is time to make justice a reality for women and girls, everywhere.