Women uniting at the Alazhri gathering site in Sudan, a country currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Credit: Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women/Ekram Hamad Fadlalla, 2025
No justice, no peace
Why access to justice shapes everyday peace for women and girls
When the fighting, the bombing, and the sounds of gunfire stop, the first seeds of peace are planted. Everyday peace, however, is about what comes next. It is about the possibilities that emerge from the absence of violence, about turning dreams of the future into reality.
For millions of women and girls around the world, their dreams remain dreams. Seeking safety without fear and the ability to claim rights without retaliation, too often they are held back by limited access to justice. Because of this, peace remains fragile where justice is unequal, even in the quiet.
On 8 March 2026, the addresses the gender inequality in access to justice with its theme ¡°Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls¡±. The message is echoed by the . This annual event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York gathers governments, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ entities, and NGOs from all over the planet to coordinate efforts in reducing gender equality.
The signal is clear: women and girls¡¯ access to justice is no technical issue, it is a peace and security imperative.
Structural inequality amplified
Conflict does not create inequality from nothing. It exposes and amplifies structural injustices that already exist. Globally, .
These inequalities impact daily lives. It determines who can report violence, who can own or inherit land, and critically, who can expect to be protected by the law. The numbers tell a story of lack of hope and trust, as .
Even when they are physically harmed, the judicial abandonment of women and girls is perpetuated by the lack of legal reforms and innovations. Today, many countries still lack consent-based legal definitions of rape, leaving survivors without meaningful legal recognition.
Besides, the imbalance between men and women¡¯s rights solidifies economically as well. , 44 per cent of countries do not mandate equal pay for work of equal value. This economic inequality increases women and girls¡¯ vulnerability to violence and exploitation.
Women at the frontline
In conflict and post-conflict settings, these legal gaps intersect with displacement, poverty, and weakened institutions. In 2024, , the highest number recorded since the 1990s.
As conflicts are exacerbated by climate shocks and political instability, women and girls face compounding risks. In just two years between 2022 and 2024, in conflict-related sexual violence.
The rapid development of digital technologies and AI also introduces new frontlines. Across the globe, women and girls face disproportionate levels of digital violence, with .
To find accountability in crisis situations, many women rely on . These mechanisms may be fast and closer to home, but much like formal courts, they can be weakened in the face of conflict. Without safeguards, both formal and traditional justice systems often over strong patriarchal norms, choosing short-term social cohesion. While such forced reconciliation may reduce immediate tension, it does not deliver justice nor contribute to lasting peace.
Justice as a peacebuilding tool
Durable peace requires justice systems that are inclusive and representative. Evidence shows that when women are represented within the judiciary, outcomes of cases involving gender-based violence and discrimination tend to be more protective of women and girls.
Crucially, justice advances where women organize. Strong, autonomous women¡¯s movements at the regional, national, and international level.
In conflict and post-conflict settings, women¡¯s rights organizations document abuses, support survivors, and pursue accountability even when institutions do not. This is essential peacebuilding work, even when it is not labelled as such.
As the world marks International Women¡¯s Day 2026 and convenes at CSW70, the task has never been more urgent. Access to justice for women and girls has to be regarded as a peace and security issue. For the wellbeing of all women and girls around the world, jurisdiction must be reformed to ensure that institutions have the resources to enforce accountability.
Critically, these changes cannot be exchanged for symbolic gestures, as they are conditions for lasting peace. For all women and girls, peace is more than the absence of violence. It is the presence of justice, dignity, and equality, so that futures can be built and dreams can be chased.