United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated on Saturday that legal equality for women could take centuries, as the struggle for gender equality has become a daunting battle against widespread discrimination and severe human rights violations. He remarked, "Legal equality for women may take 300 years with rising violent backlash against women's rights." Guterres made this statement at a large conference organized by the UN in observance of International Women's Day, which occurred yesterday on March 8. He noted that "the global violent backlash against women's rights threatens, and in some cases hinders, progress in both developing and developed countries."
He highlighted the most egregious example being Afghanistan, where the ruling Taliban has barred girls from education after sixth grade, from working outside the home, and from being in public spaces, including parks and hair salons. Guterres affirmed that under the current rate of change, achieving legal equality for women could take 300 years, and thus child marriage could be ended. He pointed out the "ongoing epidemic of gender-based violence," a gender pay gap of at least 20%, and a lack of women's representation in politics.
He cited the annual gathering of world leaders in September at the UN General Assembly, where only 12% of speakers were women. The Secretary-General stated, "The global crises we face are hitting women and girls hard—ranging from poverty and hunger to climate disasters, war, and terrorism." Guterres noted that over the past year, there have been reports of rape and human trafficking in Sudan, and in Gaza, women and children make up the majority of Palestinian victims in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has exceeded 30,000, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
He referenced a report published on Monday by a UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict, concluding that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that Hamas committed rapes and "sexual torture" among other forms of cruel and inhuman treatment of women during its surprise attack in southern Israel in October. He also mentioned reports of sexual violence against Palestinians held by Israel.
