Cover A recent review revealed that nearly one in four countries now reports an active backlash against gender equality, at times through laws and policies that quietly roll back women’s rights, freedoms and protections (Image: jacoblund / Getty Images)
A recent review revealed that nearly one in four countries now reports an active backlash against gender equality, at times through laws and policies that quietly roll back women’s rights, freedoms and protections (Image: jacoblund / Getty Images)
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Across Asia and the Pacific, gains in education, leadership and legal reform are being undermined by persistent inequality and emerging threats. This International Women’s Day, the fight is no longer just for progress—but to prevent regression, says Christine Arab, regional director of UN Women Asia and the Pacific
For over 100 years, March 8, International Women’s Day, has been an annual marker for the collective progress of women. Its continued urgency is not symbolic. A recent review (Beijing+30) revealed that nearly one in four countries now reports an active backlash against gender equality, at times through laws and policies that quietly roll back women’s rights, freedoms and protections. As such, this year’s global theme for International Women’s Day is: “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”
Above Christine Arab, regional director, UN Women Asia and the Pacific (Image: UN Women)
Christine Arab, regional director, UN Women Asia and the Pacific (Image: UN Women)
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While the basic tenets of equality between the sexes have never been so widely embraced by nations, such an obvious goal seems ever farther from being realised. On the one hand, more women in Asia and the Pacific are reshaping the world of work. There are more girls in school than at any time and stronger laws in many places now combat discrimination and domestic violence. Yet violence against women continues and women’s independence is being undermined. In the digital universe, new forms of abuse continue to spread.
Globally, women have only 64 per cent of the legal rights of men, and no country has achieved full legal equality. Over half of nations lack consent-based legal definitions of rape, while just under half still have restrictions preventing women for performing the same jobs as men. Nearly three-quarters still tolerate forms of child marriage. For women who face discrimination on more than one front, the promise of equality is even further out of reach.
We must confront cultures that normalise bias, excuse violence and shield abuse from accountability.
Numbers alone don’t tell the story of women who find the path to legal recourse blocked by cost, stigma, fear of retaliation, lack of knowledge, disability access or the bias built into institutions and algorithms. And when fairness is denied, it’s not just individuals, but families, communities and nations that pay the price. When justice systems are shaped by patriarchal norms, they do more than fail women, they dictate women’s choices. In those conditions, justice institutions can become tools of social control, punishing those who challenge power instead of protecting their rights.
That’s why the 70th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, to be held over the two weeks following March 8, will address the challenge of “ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls.” This entails amending or repealing laws that discriminate, strengthening legal aid and survivor services, and training justice-seekers so that rights are real in practice, not merely on paper. Technical fixes won’t be enough. We must also confront cultures that normalise bias, excuse violence and shield abuse from accountability.
If the women before us did not push through, I wouldn't be able to do the things I do
Justice is also about women’s participation and women’s dignity. Yet across Asia, for example, it is estimated that women make up only 29 per cent of judges and magistrates. Today, women who lead change are increasingly punished for it. For example, recent UN Women research in South-East Asia has revealed that 53 per cent of women-led CSOs in South-East Asia reported having faced online harassment, versus 48 per cent for non-women-led CSOs. UN Women is supporting women leaders, women human rights defenders, and peacebuilders. As Anushani Alagarajah, a leading advocate from Sri Lanka, observes: “If the women before us did not push through, I wouldn't be able to do the things I do.”
Legal remedies must also meet women online, where much of the harm increasingly occurs. The Internet may expand access to services, but it also amplifies abuse, spreads misinformation and reinforces gender bias. Still, women everywhere are using digital tools to organise and resist. We need technology to expand accountability, not impunity.
Real change for women and girls starts with empathy, courage and community support
In Papua New Guinea, where women hold only 3 of 118 seats in Parliament, UN Women is supporting women leaders and community advocates to strengthen access to justice and expand participation in decision‑making. Efforts to end violence against women are reinforcing referral pathways, improving survivor‑centred services, challenging harmful social norms and advocating for increased government financing for GBV interventions. As Sofia Teo, a leading youth advocate from Papua New Guinea, observes: “Real change for women and girls starts with empathy, courage and community support.”
In Thailand, UN Women and the Government have helped establish Women’s Empowerment and Learning Centres in eight border provinces. These provide safe spaces where women connect, learn and advocate for peace and inclusive policies.
In China, UN Women has partnered with the Supreme People’s Court to strengthen gender-responsive justice, especially through the 2025 edition of Guiding Cases on Anti-Domestic Violence. These examples help judges respond more effectively to domestic violence, including psychological abuse, and strengthen protection orders, while also recognising women’s unpaid care work.
UN Women has supported the Government and partners in Pakistan to improve the quality and coordination of services for survivors of abuse, including by strengthening Anti-Rape Crisis Cells to provide integrated legal, medical and psychosocial support. It is also working with police and justice actors to ensure survivors receive timely, dignified and survivor-centred access to justice.
This year, [IWD] is a test of whether the world will defend women’s rights or watch them be taken away
Thanks to a UN Women programme to enable refugee-led leadership in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, women describe how increased skills and greater confidence to speak grew and practical solutions reached families faster.
Yes, March 8 should be a potent moment to celebrate all that women everywhere do. But this year, it is also a test of whether the world will defend women’s rights or watch them be taken away in plain sight. International Women’s Day 2026 is a moment to insist that governments and institutions summon greater political will. But, ultimately, justice for all women and girls in Asia and the Pacific is collectively built by all of us.
