The global backlash against women’s rights: What we’re seeing, and how we respond

Reflections from Human Rights Day 2025 and Equality Now’s regional experts

Worldwide, women and girls continue to experience systematic and coordinated attacks on their hard-won rights. We are witnessing the roll-back of existing rights, enactment of regressive laws, the withdrawal from or manipulation of international treaties and UN bodies, heightened risks for those defending human rights, and a rise in misinformation and disinformation surrounding feminism and gender equality.

Recent examples illustrate the scale and seriousness of this backlash. In Latvia, the parliament voted to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, an important regional treaty to combat violence against women. In the United States, authorities declined to participate in the UN’s Universal Periodic Review process. In The Gambia, lawmakers attempted to repeal a long-standing ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).

But these efforts have not gone unchallenged. In Latvia, over 60,000 people signed a petition against withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, prompting the President to return the bill to Parliament. In The Gambia, survivors, activists, and policymakers joined forces to successfully defend the anti-FGM law. These victories demonstrate that, even in the face of growing hostility, there is hope. There is strength in solidarity, and in the power of movements that refuse to give ground.

On Human Rights Day, 10 December 2025, Equality Now convened a webinar to explore these dynamics and share regional perspectives on how the backlash is playing out, and being pushed back, in different parts of the world.

Holding the line: Confronting the global backlash against women’s rights

The webinar, moderated by Global Legal Advisor Shivangi Misra, featured three of Equality Now’s legal experts:

• Bárbara Jiménez-Santiago, Regional Representative, Latin America and the Caribbean
• Tamar Dekanosidze, Regional Representative, Eurasia
• Esther Waweru, Senior Legal Advisor, Legal Equality

Together, they painted a sobering picture of the threats facing women’s rights across their regions. From constitutional reform efforts that threaten gender protections in Latin America, to disinformation campaigns in Eastern Europe and attempts to roll back protective legislation in Africa, the speakers showed that these attacks are neither isolated nor organic. They are part of a larger, well-resourced strategy by anti-rights actors to reshape international norms and practices.

But the discussion was not one of despair. The speakers also highlighted the success of feminist legal advocacy, grassroots mobilisation, movement-building, and the use of international legal mechanisms to resist and reverse harmful policies.

International law, solidarity, and resistance

Throughout the conversation, a recurring theme was the importance of international human rights law and the need to defend multilateral systems that uphold gender equality.

Esther Waweru described how feminist coalitions in Africa have worked to keep governments accountable, even when formal institutions fail. Tamar Dekanosidze spoke of the symbolic and practical importance of instruments like CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention, despite coordinated attempts to discredit them. Bárbara Jiménez-Santiago discussed the dangerous implications of legal rollbacks in the region and emphasised the importance of public advocacy that centres survivors and demands justice.

The Q&A segment of the webinar also offered insightful contributions from attendees, whose thoughtful questions reflected a strong desire to better understand the nature of the backlash and to work collectively to confront it. This level of engagement demonstrated that people across regions are not only aware of these threats but are motivated to connect, learn, and act.

The speakers underscored that while attacks on women’s rights are growing, so too is the global movement to resist them, a movement that is legally grounded, politically strategic, and deeply interconnected. Finally, the speakers offered concrete recommendations based on their experience with effective strategies in regional advocacy and emphasised the importance of cross-regional and global knowledge-sharing to build stronger, more resilient movements.

Further reading and resources

The insights shared in the webinar reflect themes explored in Equality Now’s recent research reports, which document both the nature of the backlash and the mechanisms available to challenge it.

• Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing+30 Review
• Global Backlash Against Women’s and Girls’ Rights – Words & Deeds 2025 Update

Looking ahead

As we enter 2026, the threats to gender equality continue. But neither does the determination of those committed to protecting and advancing the rights of women and girls. Events like this webinar remind us that solidarity across borders, the strategic use of legal frameworks, and the amplification of survivor-led movements are powerful tools in the fight for justice.

We thank all those who joined us on Human Rights Day and hope you will continue to stand with us as we respond to the backlash, and push forward. To keep informed on our work and hear about upcoming events and webinars, subscribe to our emails.