From Digital Spaces to Remote Islands, Speakers Demand Protection, Equality Under Law, as Commission on Status of Women Enters Week Two

Gender justice, whether on a remote island or in digital spaces, must be grounded in the lived realities of young women and girls, civil society speakers from around the world told the Commission on the Status of Women today.

As it entered the second week of its seventieth session, the Commission held two conversations focused on this year's theme: "Ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices, and addressing structural barriers".

Young Voices Shaping Justice Agenda, Speaking Out against Online Violence

Youth representatives from different regions came together in person and over video for an interactive dialogue this afternoon. In her opening remarks, Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN-Women, noted that youth-led justice movements are reshaping norms despite operating in shrinking civic spaces. In the Commission's consultations, more than 23,000 young people and adolescents from 75 countries called for justice that is "intersectional, intergenerational and focused on implementation", she noted, adding: "You, young feminists, embody hope."

"I received my first dick pic when I was 13; I didn't know it was violence until I was 17," Oona Kurppa from Finland told the Commission. Online violence and harassment can be a daily reality for girls and young women, and the behaviours have become "so normalized that victims often do not recognize them as criminal offenses", she said.

Calling for a cultural shift to address the inequalities embedded in technological systems, she pointed out that digital platforms are controlled by a handful of men, who are far from neutral infrastructure providers. Online violence should be recognized as a threat to democracy. Technology companies must be held accountable and platforms should be required to share relevant data with authorities, she stressed.

Stigma, Assumptions, Gender Stereotypes Distort Judicial Outcomes

Nauna Revo from Solomon Islands highlighted the complexity of gender-based violence in Pacific communities - populations are interconnected, and survivors often know and trust their perpetrators. "Reporting violence can mean navigating stigma, social and cultural isolation, or economic insecurity," she said. "Geography also shapes access to justice," she said, noting that essential services such as police protection or legal assistance may only be accessible after long and costly journeys by boat or by foot.

These structural barriers have to be addressed, she insisted, calling for mobile service delivery, community-based support networks and safe spaces. Young women must be included in monitoring mechanisms, policy review processes and data collection efforts.

Ekaterine Muzashvili from Georgia shared her experience as a lawyer working with survivors of gender-based violence in her country. She recalled that during the proceedings in a sexual harassment case brought against a local politician, "the court focused heavily on the personality and behaviour of the complainant, questioning whether a woman portrayed as 'ambitious' could truly be a victim of sexual harassment by her supervisor, or whether she had overreacted."

When decision-makers rely on assumptions about how women "should" behave or react to violence, these stereotypes can shape investigations, the evaluation of evidence, and judicial outcomes, she warned. In addition, "justice procedures can be complex, slow and intimidating", she said, highlighting the role of civil society organizations in helping survivors navigate such systems. "When women's rights organizations are restricted, survivors lose not only support services but also a vital pathway to justice," she pointed out.

Sandy Joseph from Haiti highlighted the risks affecting female migrants, including abuse, mistreatment, poverty, and labour exploitation, particularly in precarious sectors such as domestic work and caregiving. Many workers do not dare to report abuses due to fear of reprisals, threats from employers, or the risk of immigration sanctions. States must recognize that this is a structural problem requiring public policy responses.

A priority reform would be "decoupling access to labour justice from migratory status", she said. Also calling for "the full recognition of the labour rights of those working in the home and those working in the informal sector", she said this must include access to social security, written contracts and dignified wages.

Chronic Underfunding, 'Repugnant' Edicts, Patriarchal Religious Interpretations Subvert Rights of Women, Girls

Rania Hogga from Morocco highlighted three major challenges that undermine youth-led justice movements everywhere: shrinking civic space, backlash against gender equality and chronic underfunding. Restrictive laws, surveillance and intimidation discourage youth from engaging in civic and political processes, she said. Young activists, particularly those advocating for gender equality, are often exposed to harassment, online abuse and threats to their safety.

At the same time, movements advocating for women's rights and gender justice are increasingly targeted by "misinformation, political resistance, and social polarization". And despite their impact and innovation, youth organizations receive only a very small share of global funding and are rarely given multi-year, flexible resources. Many young activists work on a voluntary basis, with limited access to institutional support, training, or sustainable funding, she pointed out, adding: "Supporting young feminist leaders means recognizing their expertise and ensuring that they have a seat at decision-making tables."

In the morning, the first panel discussion of the day brought together gender justice experts from around the world.

Panellist Teresa Zapeta, the Guatemala-based Executive Director of the International Indigenous Women's Forum, declared: "We celebrate women's accomplishments around the world." However, she agreed with the panel's theme that many structural impediments remain in women's access to legal justice. "Justice is a right that cannot be renounced, and a pillar to achieving all human rights," she said.

Women face diverse and intersecting challenges around the world, including lack of access to reproductive care and attacks on human rights defenders, and recognizing these challenges is the first step towards eradicating them. Noting that the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women commits parties to addressing the barriers facing women, she called for a proactive, multicultural, decentralized and whole-of-Government approach.

Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Professor of Law and Global Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, singled out the Taliban's "repugnant" edicts that target the human rights of women in Afghanistan. "The subjugation of women is a threat to global peace and security," she stressed.

In her research, she found that "equality before the law" is enshrined in 134 national constitutions, while their access to justice is enshrined in only 21 constitutions. She also listed a range of legislation that "overprotects" women, discriminates against them through "husband obedience laws" or unequal inheritance laws, or provide unequal access to banking and credit, among other barriers. "This […] impedes a nation's full human capital, and its full potential for growth," she said.

Marwa Sharafeldin (Egypt), Senior Adviser to Musawah, the Global Movement for Equality and Justice in the Muslim Family, said feminist groups have long been working to address the challenging nexus between religion, law and family. In many countries, religious traditions still govern the rights of women - some overtly, as enshrined in constitutions and laws, and some in more subtle ways.

"In contexts where religion is important socially, politically and legally, we sometimes find dominant patriarchal interpretations of religious texts that see male superiority, authority and guardianship over women as a sacrosanct religious edict that has to be followed by all," she said. That is then institutionalized in ways that hinder women's daily movement, rights and freedoms. She emphasized the need for constructive, tailored, scholarly activist engagement with Governments and religious leaders to defend women's rights.

Greater Awareness, Mobile Phone Use, Emergence of Supportive Technologies Expand Access to Justice

Aferdita Prroni, Executive Director of Albania's Human Rights in Democracy Center, said that country's women enjoy strong institutional protections but too often suffer from a lack of practical implementation. The 2017 Free Legal Aid Law improved Albanian women's access to legal representation, especially for vulnerable groups such as Roma, Egyptian-descended and rural women.

Against that backdrop, her organization and other non-governmental groups conduct frequent public awareness campaigns to inform women and girls about their legal right and available remedies and have created an integrated support mechanism for survivors of domestic violence, which combines legal aid with other critical direct support services. "The best practice is to work closely with State institutions," she stressed, adding that strong community-based structures are also crucial.

Tania Sourdin, Professor at the University of Newcastle, outlined technological solutions that can help remove barriers to legal justice. Citing a deep digital divide and uneven access to technology around the world, she nevertheless said the widespread use of mobile phones now provide more women access to technological solutions. Important supportive technologies can connect women and girls with services, such as simple AI "chatbots" and videoconferencing and translation programmes. "These technologies are really important in opening up the justice system to more people," she said.

She touched on other "replacement" and "disruptive" technologies, such as generative AI, stressing that - while these evolving technologies still face many well-known problems - they may also prove helpful in assisting people in better understanding their rights. She cited the example of online courts in China, which have helped many people deal with legal matters on their mobile phones in less than 15 minutes.

A range of Member States and civil society delegates also contributed to the interactive discussion, sharing national experiences or responding to the panellists' remarks.

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* The 10th and 11th Meetings were not covered.

Complete Live Blog coverage of today's meeting can be found here.