No country in Europe and Central Asia has reached full legal equality for women and girls

Istanbul, 6 March 2026 – Ahead of 8 March 2026, International Women’s Day, UN Women issues a global alert: justice systems meant to uphold rights and the rule of law are failing women and girls everywhere. Globally, women hold only 64 per cent of the legal rights of men, and in the Europe and Central Asia region, they hold just 75 per cent, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination, violence, and exclusion at every stage of their lives.

In over half of the world’s countries – 54 per cent – rape is not legally defined based on consent, meaning that a woman can be subjected to sexual violence and the law may not recognize it as a crime. A girl can still be forced to marry, by national law, in nearly 3 out of 4 countries. And in 44 per cent of countries, the law does not mandate equal remuneration for work of equal value, meaning women can still legally be paid less for the same work, reveals the new United Nations Secretary-General’s report, “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls”.

“When women and girls are denied justice, the damage goes far beyond any single case. Public trust erodes, institutions lose legitimacy, and the rule of law itself is weakened. A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.

The 2025 Gender Snapshot for Europe and Central Asia shows that women’s access to justice remains uneven. No country has a comprehensive legal framework on violence against women, laws on digital abuse are limited, and domestic violence is still not fully criminalized in several countries.

Only half of the 16 countries with available data have overarching laws to promote gender equality and prevent discrimination in public life. Just two countries address gender discrimination at work or ensure equal economic opportunities for women, and none have adopted pay‑transparency measures to close the gender pay gap.

“For too many women and girls, legal protections exist on paper but remain out of reach in practice. Closing this gap demands decisive action: stronger legal frameworks, survivor-centred justice systems, and real accountability so that every woman and girl can claim her rights”, stated Belén Sanz Luque, Regional Director for UN Women Europe and Central Asia.

As global backlash against longstanding commitments on gender equality intensifies, violations of the rights of women and girls are accelerating, fueled by a global culture of impunity, spanning from courts to online spaces to conflict. Laws are being rewritten to restrict the freedoms of women and girls, silence their voices, and enable abuse without consequence. In conflict zones, rape continues to be used as a weapon of war, with reported cases of sexual violence around the world rising by 87 per cent in just two years. In Ukraine, the UN has documented 484 cases of conflict-related sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war.

Despite these alarming trends, progress is possible. The UN Secretary General’s report also shows that 87 per cent of countries have enacted domestic violence legislation, and more than 40 countries have strengthened constitutional protections for women and girls over the past decade. In Europe and Central Asia, 82 per cent of the necessary laws and regulations safeguarding the right to sexual and reproductive health care are in place, and 14 countries and territories have adopted domestic violence laws.

But laws alone are not enough. Discriminatory social norms – stigma, victim-blaming, fear, and community pressure – continue to silence survivors and obstruct justice, allowing even the most extreme forms of violence, including femicide, to go unpunished. Women’s access to justice is also prevented by everyday realities such as cost, time, language, and a deep lack of trust in the very institutions meant to protect them. In war and crises, these risks escalate: insecurity, displacement, and weakened institutions limit women’s access to justice, leaving gender-based violence largely unaddressed.

This International Women’s Day 2026, under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” UN Women calls for urgent and decisive action: end impunity, defend the rule of law, and deliver equality – in law, in practice, and in every sphere of life – for all women and girls.

This year’s 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) – the United Nations’ highest-level intergovernmental body that sets global standards for women’s rights and gender equality – is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reverse the rollback of women’s rights and ensure justice.

“Now is the moment to stand up, show up, and speak up for rights, for justice, and for action – so that every woman and girl can live safely, speak freely, and live equally,” stressed UN Women Executive Director, Sima Bahous.

International’s Women’s Day Commemoration and the opening of CSW70 will take place this year on the same day, back-to-back, on March 9, 2026, in the UN General Assembly, starting at 9:00 a.m. EST and online.