International Women’s Day: Reflect on progress, reaffirm our commitment

By Christian Santos, Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism

This year’s United Nations theme for International Women’s Day, “Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls,” could not be better timed. We are witnessing a worrying reality around the world where the rights of women and girls, which many assumed had been firmly secured, are increasingly under pressure.

In some parts of the world, progress towards equality has stalled. In others, even more disturbingly, fundamental human rights for women are being repealed.

Perhaps the starkest example is Afghanistan where, since 2021, women and girls have seen fundamental rights stripped away. Girls have been banned from secondary and university education. Women have been pushed out of many professions and excluded from public life. Even their freedom of movement has been curtailed. When women cannot study, work, move freely or participate in public life, access to justice becomes almost impossible.

Elsewhere, women continue to face serious barriers when trying to claim their rights. In many countries, survivors of sexual violence still struggle to report abuse safely or to see their cases pursued through the courts. In others, legal protections remain weak or inconsistently applied. Even where laws exist, complex legal processes, financial barriers or social stigma can prevent women from seeking justice.

These realities remind us that progress on equality is not inevitable. If we are not vigilant, women’s rights, which are ultimately human rights, can be weakened, restricted, quietly eroded or suddenly and dramatically erased,

The United Nations theme this year challenges governments and institutions everywhere to ensure that justice systems truly serve women and girls. That means laws that protect rights, but also systems that are accessible, responsive and supportive.

In Gibraltar, we are extremely fortunate to live in a society built on strong democratic institutions and the rule of law. However, that does not mean that our work as a community to ensure that equality is a lived experience for everyone is complete.

Justice should never feel intimidating or out of reach, nor is justice only about responding after harm occurs. It is also about prevention. Education, open conversation and a culture that promotes respect and equality help create societies where discrimination and violence are far less likely to occur.

The global picture reminds us why this work matters. When the rights of women and girls are weakened anywhere, it serves as a warning everywhere.

International Women’s Day is therefore a moment to reflect on progress and also a moment to reaffirm our commitment. Ensuring access to justice for all women and girls is not simply a legal goal, it reflects the kind of society we aspire to be, a society where equality is protected, voices are heard and justice is available to all.