A flagship report from UN Women, the UN’s new organisation for women, calls on governments to take urgent action to end the injustices that keep women poorer and less powerful than men in every country in the world.
The report, 'Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice' recognises the positive progress made – 139 countries and territories now guarantee gender equality in their constitutions, for example – but also shows that too often, women continue to experience injustice, violence and inequality in their home and working lives.
In the home, for example, the report reveals that:
- Domestic violence is now outlawed in 125 countries but, globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not considered a crime.
- By 2011, at least 52 countries had made marital rape a criminal offence. And yet, over 2.6 billion women live in countries where it has not been explicitly criminalised.
- Laws based on custom or religion, which exist alongside state legislation, frequently restrict women’s rights within the family, in marriage, divorce and the right to inherit property.
To ensure justice becomes a reality for all women, UN Women calls on governments to repeal laws that discriminate against women, and ensure that legislation protects women from violence and inequality in the home and the workplace.
Innovative justice services, including one-stop shops, legal aid and specialised courts, would ensure women can access the justice to which they are entitled, while putting women on the frontline of justice delivery - as police, judges, legislators and activists - would help to bring about change.
