UN Women's Commission Forced to Vote After 70 Years

For 70 years, the UN Commission on the Status of Women adopted its outcome documents by consensus. That streak ended March 10. The US objected to gender equality language, forced a vote, and lost. It's the first time member states couldn't agree on advancing women's rights.

CSW70 Adopts Gender Justice Roadmap Over US Opposition

The commission's 70th session ran March 9-19 in New York. Its theme: access to justice and eliminating discriminatory laws. The US, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Russia tried to water down past agreements. They failed.

The numbers are blunt. Women hold 64% of the legal rights men have. Over half the countries surveyed don't define rape based on consent. Three-quarters allow forced marriage of girls. 44% have no equal pay laws. At the current pace, closing these gaps will take 286 years.

"A justice system that fails half the population cannot claim to uphold justice at all," UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous told delegates.

India Strips Transgender Self-ID Rights

India's parliament introduced a bill on March 13 that kills the right to self-identify as transgender. Instead, a medical board decides.

That reverses a 2014 Supreme Court ruling — NALSA v. Union of India — which recognized transgender people as a third gender and affirmed self-identification. The 2019 act built on those protections. The 2026 amendment guts them.

Activists call it "nothing but erasure." LGBT+ groups across India say the bill rolls back decades of constitutional protections.

UK Lords Vote on Ending Criminal Penalties for Abortion

The House of Lords votes March 18 on whether to decriminalize abortion. The amendment would repeal sections of an 1861 law that technically makes abortion punishable by life imprisonment.

Labour MP Diana Johnson's amendment already passed the Commons. The Lords get a free vote — no party whip.

The opposition is organized. Conservative peer Baroness Stroud wants to end telemedicine abortions introduced during the pandemic. Former EHRC chair Kishwer Falkner signed amendments that critics say would restrict reproductive access. Canada, France, and New Zealand already treat abortion as a medical matter, not a criminal one.

Spain: One Woman Killed Every Six Days in 2026

Thirteen women have been killed by current or former partners in Spain since January 1. That's the worst start to a year since 2020. One every six days.

Spanish newspaper Ideal found victims aren't getting adequate protection despite risk assessments. The spike follows rising domestic violence cases since summer 2025.

Brazil's trending the opposite direction. Its homicide rate fell from 21 per 100,000 in 2024 to 19.2 in 2025 — 3,615 fewer murders, including femicides.

Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Up 87%

Sexual violence in conflict zones jumped 87% over the past two years. More women and girls live within 50km of active combat than at any point in recent decades. The worst-hit areas: Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Myanmar, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

"You wake up, check the news, hear another siren, and feel what we call in Ukrainian a 'ком в горлі' — a lump in the throat," said Anna, a 20-year-old Ukrainian activist in UNICEF's Global Girl Leaders Advisory Group.

The gender gap in Ukraine is stark. 32% of women aged 20-24 can't access education, work, or training. For men the same age, it's 16.4%. Women lose opportunities first in conflict and get them back last.

Legal Reform Is Going Backwards

Equality Now's "Words & Deeds" report documents a global regression. Gender equality budgets are being slashed. Women's empowerment ministries have been merged or shut down. Reproductive freedoms are shrinking. Sex education is being pulled from classrooms.

Not one of the world's 190 economies has achieved equal economic participation for women. Only 4% of women live in countries close to full legal equality.

The UK published pay gap guidance on March 4 ahead of International Women's Day. US Equal Pay Day falls March 26 — marking how far into 2026 women must work to match men's 2025 earnings.

The Gambia's Supreme Court is weighing a challenge to the country's FGM ban. In 2024, parliamentarians rejected a repeal, but the case could set a precedent on cultural practices vs. legal protections.

The Philippines dropped from 82nd to 86th globally in women's parliamentary representation between 2022 and 2026. President Marcos called himself "an ally of women" but didn't specify what he'd do about it.