UN Warns of Global Decline in Women's Rights

Report finds women and girls face greater barriers to justice than men in nearly 70% of countries surveyed

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A new UN report warns that women's rights are under threat globally, with laws being reshaped to restrict freedoms, silence voices, and allow abuse without consequence. The report found five key barriers preventing fairness in outcomes for women and girls, including discriminatory legal frameworks, social norms, gaps between laws and implementation, traditional justice systems, and conflict settings. The UN is calling for judicial reforms "shaped by women and for women" and increased government spending to address these concerns.

Why it matters

The report highlights a concerning global trend of backsliding on gender equality, with women and girls facing greater injustice and impunity. This threatens to undermine hard-won progress on women's rights and has far-reaching consequences for communities, public trust, and the legitimacy of justice institutions.

The details

The report titled "Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls" found that women worldwide have only 64% of the legal rights of men, and 54% of countries lack consent-based legal definitions of rape. It also noted a 87% increase in conflict-related sexual violence violations since 2024, as 676 million women and girls now live within 50km of a deadly conflict.

  • The report was published on March 5, 2026.

The players

Sarah Hendriks

UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“As the world navigates democratic backsliding, rising conflicts, economic pressures and shrinking of civic space, there is an increasingly organised pushback at gender equality and regression of women's rights.”

— Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (Mirage News)

“Justice systems do not stand apart from those pressures, they actually reflect them.”

— Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (Mirage News)

“Far too often impunity prevails. When justice fails women and girls, the damage goes far beyond any single story, any single woman's life. Communities lose faith, public trust erodes and justice institutions lose legitimacy.”

— Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (Mirage News)

“Justice systems can evolve, they can transform,”

— Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (Mirage News)

“Nearly 90 per cent of organizations working to end violence against women and girls are reporting reduction in essential services, only 5 per cent believe they can sustain the current situation they are in and sustain for over two years.”

— Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Division (Mirage News)

What’s next

The UN is calling on governments to implement eight recommendations by 2030, including ensuring judicial reforms are "shaped by women and for women" and increasing government spending to address these concerns.

The takeaway

This report underscores the urgent need to protect and advance women's rights globally, as backsliding on gender equality threatens to undermine hard-won progress and have devastating consequences for communities and justice systems. Meaningful reform requires centering the voices and experiences of women and girls.