LONDON — Despite efforts to create a more equal global society, discriminatory laws against women and girls persist, according to a recent report by the international women’s rights organization, Equality Now. The report, titled “Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing +30 Review Process,” highlights the slow and inconsistent progress in achieving legal equality for women, even 30 years after the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted by 189 countries.
The Beijing Declaration was conceived as a comprehensive plan to achieve gender equality, addressing a range of issues from civil rights to cultural inequalities. However, according to the latest findings, no country has yet achieved full legal equality for women. The review, conducted by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) every five years, underscores both advancements and significant setbacks in various regions around the world.
One of the more severe backslides noted in the report is in Afghanistan, where women have been largely excluded from public life, education, employment, and even leisure activities. Similarly concerning situations are noted in Iran and a number of former Soviet countries, where women’s rights continue to be restricted, and LGBTQ+ rights are being notably rolled back.
In terms of reproductive rights, the report underscores a global trend of undermining women’s autonomy, with pointed examples like Poland—where recent legislation eliminated one of the few remaining legal grounds for abortion—and the United States, where a Supreme Court decision has led to the criminalization of abortion in 14 states.
The global overview provided by the report also touches on issues of sex-discriminatory laws that grant male family members authority over female relatives in countries like Sudan and Yemen, and different standards for women and men in matters of divorce in 45 countries including Saudi Arabia.
Despite the sobering findings, the report does identify some areas of progress in dismantling sex-discriminatory laws and practices. Notable examples include legislative changes in countries like Colombia, Sierra Leone, and Japan, where laws prohibiting child marriage and gender-based discrimination in the workplace have recently been enacted.
However, Equality Now emphasizes that much work remains to be done, as women still enjoy less than two-thirds of the legal rights that men have globally. The organization calls for immediate government action to repeal or amend discriminatory laws and to close legal loopholes that allow gender-based violence to persist.
“In securing the full protection of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights for women and girls under international commitments, repealing all sex-discriminatory legislation is fundamental,” said Antonia Kirkland, report co-author. She added, “It’s crucial for all nations to urgently review and adjust their legal frameworks to ensure that women and girls are protected against the rollback of rights and are guaranteed equal treatment under the law.”
The ongoing struggle for gender equality serves as a stark reminder of the disparities that still exist and the unified action required to address them. While some countries have made notable advances, the overall pace of change remains slow, compelling a continued push for legal reforms and the enforcement of equal rights protections worldwide.
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