Policy & Practice

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Explore in-depth resources on women’s rights issues, including sexual violence, sexual exploitation, harmful practices, and legal discrimination from our expert network of lawyers and activists.

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13 May 2026

Submission Update to the Universal Periodic Review – United States of America 53rd Session of the UPR Working Group of the Human Rights Council

This update examines recent legal and political developments impacting women’s and girls’ rights in the United States, including the continued failure to guarantee constitutional sex equality, ongoing gaps in protections against child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), growing concerns surrounding online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA), and the United States’ increasing disengagement from international human rights systems. It also highlights emerging legislative trends, survivor experiences, and the broader implications of weakened accountability and protection…

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EN Achieve legal equality North America United States

12 May 2026

Statement by Equality Now (Observer Status No. 281) on the Occasion of the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights

As the African Commission adopts a new Advocacy Framework to strengthen implementation of the Maputo Protocol, a parallel effort to introduce a regressive Charter risks undermining decades of progress. Equality Now calls for decisive action to safeguard existing protections, ensure accountability from Member States, and work collaboratively with community leaders to advance a future where the rights of women and girls are fully realised.

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EN Achieve legal equality Africa

12 May 2026

Considerations on Argentina’s Bill S-0228/2025 on “False Reports” and Gender-Based Violence

Civil society organizations warn that Argentina’s proposed Bill S-0228/2025 would deter survivors of gender-based and sexual violence from seeking justice.

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ES End sexual violence Argentina Latin America and the Caribbean

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From discrimination in the law to ending sexual violence and harmful practices, explore resources from our worldwide expert team.

Achieve legal equality

In every part of the world, women and girls are prevented from fully participating in society by discrimination in the law.

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End child marriage

Child, early, and forced marriage and unions (CEFMU) affect millions of girls globally.

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End female genital mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) affects at least 230 million women and girls globally.

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End harmful practices

Harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriage, deny millions of women and girls their fundamental rights.

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End online sexual exploitation and abuse

The internet and digital technology have opened new possibilities for human progress and also new opportunities for harm.

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End sexual exploitation

The sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls, in both physical and digital spaces, is on a disturbing upward trajectory.

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End sexual violence

Sexual violence is a human rights violation that impacts millions of people around the world. The vast majority of victims are women and girls, while almost all perpetrators are men.

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Family law

The laws that restrict women’s property, marriage and inheritance rights are among the least reformed areas of law globally.

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Nationality law

Women in over 45 countries still cannot pass their nationality to children or spouses on equal terms with men.

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22 September 2025

12 pages

Global backlash against women’s and girls’ rights – Words and Deeds update, September 2025

Equality Now’s Words & Deeds 2025 update highlights rising global threats to women’s and girls’ rights, including regressive laws, misuse of multilateral systems, increased risks for defenders and disinformation, documenting legal and policy rollbacks that undermine gender equality.

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Briefs Achieve legal equality Global

9 September 2025

64 pages

Reforming rape laws in Arab States: A comparative analysis of legal frameworks across 22 LAS countries

A ground-breaking legal analysis of rape laws in 22 Arab States, calling for consent-based legal reforms and justice-centred accountability for survivors.

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Reports End sexual violence Middle East and North Africa

4 March 2025

43 pages

Words and Deeds: Holding governments accountable in the Beijing+30 review process

This is the sixth edition in our Words & Deeds series that exposes how governments have failed to repeal or amend sex-discriminatory laws and highlights the urgent reforms to achieve full legal equality for women and girls.

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Reports Achieve legal equality Global

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