In a world that often feels overshadowed by conflict, division, and setbacks for women and girls, there are still reasons to believe in progress and possibility. At Equality Now, we see hope in action every day—from the resilience of women-led movements to the tireless efforts pushing governments to uphold equality and international law. In 2024, despite the challenges, we witnessed significant strides toward gender equality around the globe. Here are some of the moments that remind us: progress is not only possible, it is happening.
1. Landmark Moments for Ending Child Marriage
On 2nd July 2024, President Maada Bio of Sierra Leone signed The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2024 into law. The new law will provide much-needed protection for children, mostly girls, whose rights are violated through child marriage. This follows work from Equality Now and its partners, Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES) and Defence for Children International Sierra Leone (DCI-Sierra Leone) advocating for an unequivocal law banning child marriage and female genital mutilation in Sierra Leone as barriers to girls’ right to bodily integrity, right to education, and to enjoy their childhood.
More recently, Colombia became the latest country to prohibit child marriage without exceptions, after the Senate passed the legislation on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. This new law represents a crucial step in protecting the rights of girls and adolescents by prohibiting child marriage and de facto marital unions without exceptions for individuals under the age of 18. This reform will close a legal loophole that has enabled harmful practices and violated constitutional principles such as the right to integral development, equality, and protection against all forms of violence. This marked a landmark victory following years of advocacy by civil society, including Equality Now and our partners.
In the United States, three more states – Washington State, Virginia, and New Hampshire banned marriage below 18, without exception, joining Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, which have all set the minimum age at 18 and eliminated all exceptions.
2. Attempt to repeal anti-FGM ban is rejected in The Gambia
On 15th July 2024, the Gambian Parliament rejected the Women’s (Amendment), 2024 Bill attempting to remove provisions criminalizing FGM in the country by voting against it.
The decision to uphold the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015 reaffirms The Gambia’s commitment to protecting the rights of its women and girls. With 73% of women and girls aged between 15-49 affected by FGM, this law remains crucial in safeguarding their rights in line with regional and international human rights instruments.
Equality Now is supporting a comprehensive campaign in the defense of the Women’s Act 2015. We acknowledge that the law is not the only solution for eradicating FGM, but serves as the foundation for other interventions. This anti-FGM law is a vital tool, ensuring access to justice for survivors by providing a legal framework for prosecuting perpetrators and acting as a deterrent for potential perpetrators.
3. Women Heads of State: A number of firsts
In 2024, Mexico elected a female leader for the first time, joining a growing global list of countries that have elected or appointed women as heads of state or government. Most recently Halla Tomasdottir, the incoming President of Iceland; Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah as Namibia’s first woman President and; Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang as Ghana’s first female Vice President-elect. Balanced political participation and power-sharing between women and men in decision-making is an internationally agreed target set in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Having more women in public leadership roles can have a profound impact on creating more peaceful and prosperous societies.
While 2024 saw the election of some women leaders, women remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of political decision-making. More needs to be done to increase women’s political representation by understanding and removing obstacles that impede women’s participation in the public sphere and decision-making.
4. Women Spoke Up and Spoke out
The highly publicized Pélicot trial in France, in which Dominique Pélicot testified to repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, Gisèle Pélicot, along with 50 other men who had been invited by her husband, attracted worldwide attention. Gisèle’s decision to waive her right to anonymity and speak out on her abusers has made her an inspiration, as she has helped raise awareness, with some praising her as a ‘feminist hero’. Women who report rape often face skepticism, victim-blaming, and public vilification. This toxic culture discourages many from coming forward and silences those who do. Gisèle showed the world she would not be silenced. Sexual violence is not a woman’s issue, it’s a basic human rights issue and everyone should be engaged.
Shiori Ito, a Japanese filmmaker and journalist, documented her own sexual assault case after the justice system failed to hold her alleged attacker accountable. By publicly revealing her identity, telling her story through film, and pushing for legal reforms, she challenged cultural taboos and helped spur changes to Japan’s outdated rape laws, ultimately finding a measure of healing, solidarity, and empowerment.
At our Make Equality Reality Gala in October, we honored E. Jean Carroll with our inaugural Courage Award. She is truly deserving, having shown her bravery in speaking out, and encouraging other women to do the same. In her moving acceptance speech, she shared more of her experience, including how she thought no one would believe her.
5. Legal Change IS Happening
In 2024 we saw a number of laws being adopted, including in Kyrgyzstan. The law “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Kyrgyz Republic in the Sphere of Safety and Protection from Family, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence” was adopted. The law included protections for women with disabilities, following findings from our Kyrgyzstan Disability Report.
In Africa, the African Union adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights Relating to the Specific Aspects of the Right to a Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness in Africa. This was a huge win for women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by discriminatory nationality laws.
During the Summit of the Future, the Global Digital Compact (GDC) was adopted by all but eight member states. The final wording of this guiding document on digital rights and the digital space contained language around gender equality (and other issues) taken directly from recommendations we co-developed with other digital and gender rights allies, such as the Alliance for Universal Digital Rights (AUDRi). This document represents a commitment from adopting states to ensure that our digital future benefits all of us.
6. People Connected to Make Change Happen
Collaboration is a key part of the way we work at Equality Now. We are proud to be part of a number of coalitions and partnerships, including a new coalition launched in 2024, in South Asia. SAMAJ (The South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice) was officially launched during a convening held from 26-27 June 2024, in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAMAJ is a coalition dedicated to uniting voices against sexual violence in South Asia. It believes in the power of a collective, unified approach to create lasting change.
We are also a proud member of the Hurra Coalition, a network of organizations advocating for women’s rights and gender equality in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Established in September 2023 to combat systemic discrimination against women and girls in existing family laws, the Coalition works to create legal and social reforms that ensure equality and justice. In 2024, Hurra grew to 13 members in 9 countries and is now formalized with bylaws and a strategic plan.
Working in partnership makes up a vital part of our Theory of Change. We wouldn’t be able to have the same reach and impact for ensuring the rights of all women and girls without our partnerships.
Gender equality takes time, but each small step gets us closer to achieving gender equality across the world. With your support, we can create a gender equal world.