HRS International Women’s Day statement: Democratic erosion puts women’s rights at risk

On International Women’s Day 2025, HRS reaffirms its commitment to empowering women, promoting equality, and ensuring freedom and security worldwide. Today, March 8th, 2025, we come together to celebrate International Women’s Day—a day to honour the courage, brilliance, and resilience of women and girls everywhere. At Human Rights Solidarity (HRS), we stand tall on this occasion, recommitting ourselves to a vision of a world where every woman is empowered, valued, and a full partner in the decisions that shape her future. We strive for a tomorrow where equality, security, and freedom are not distant dreams but everyday truths for all.

This year, the United Nations has given us a powerful theme for 2025: “For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.” It’s a rallying cry that shines a light on the stubborn challenges holding women back. The latest UN Women report, marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—signed by 189 countries in 1995 tells a story of both hope and heartbreak. Yes, there’s been progress over these three decades, but the report lays bare a harsh reality: women’s rights are slipping away, eroded by the collapse of democratic foundations. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark warning: instead of advancing equality, we’re seeing misogyny creep into the mainstream. This isn’t just a stumble it’s a call to action.

Here are some of the key findings of the UN Women Report:

• One in four countries has watched women’s rights erode over the past year, battered by weakening democracies, rising conflicts, humanitarian crises, and climate chaos.
• Anti-rights movements are digging in, blocking legal reforms and slowing the march toward gender equality.
• Women’s political representation has doubled in 30 years—yet men still hold 75% of parliamentary seats, and only 87 countries have ever elected a woman to lead.
• Social protections—like healthcare and safety from violence—have grown stronger, but 2 billion women and girls remain shut out from these rights.
• While 88% of countries have laws to fight violence against women, women still possess just 64% of the legal rights men enjoy.
• And in conflict zones, war-related sexual violence has surged by 50% since 2022, with women and girls accounting for 95% of the victims.
• These aren’t just statistics they’re the daily struggles of millions. And in some parts of the world, the picture grows even darker. 

Countries with Severe Violations of Women’s Rights 

At HRS, we’ve seen how women and girls continue to face brutal discrimination and violence in too many places. Let me take you through a few:

Afghanistan: The Taliban has stripped women of education and jobs, enforcing what the UN and Amnesty International call “gender apartheid.”

Iran: Women face unequal laws in marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Between 2021 and 2024, 180 women were killed by their husbands some in the name of “honor.”

Turkey: Male violence rages on, worsened by the country’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Women are jailed on terrorism charges for their beliefs, and girls under 18 face trials for studying or watching movies together.  

Saudi Arabia: Women still need male approval to marry, travel, or access services, their public lives tightly controlled.

Somalia: With a 98% prevalence rate, female genital mutilation scars nearly every woman and girl, bringing lifelong health risks.

Pakistan: Honor killings, acid attacks, and forced marriages remain a grim reality.

India: Rape, domestic violence, and trafficking endure, alongside practices like dowry killings and gender-selective abortion.

These stories are a wake-up call. But they’re not the end. At HRS, we know change is within reach and it’s urgent. We call on governments, the private sector, civil society, and every one of you to step up. Protect women’s rights. Fight for gender equality. Turn the promises of 1995 into action today. The time for meaningful change is now.

Together, let’s forge a world where every woman and girl can rise, thrive, and lead because when women are free, humanity wins.