Women's rights under attack and 'we must fight back', says UN chief

Protest ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Rome

FILE PHOTO: A woman looks on as people from Non Una di Meno (Not One Less) movement and feminist collectives take part in a protest, ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Rome, Italy, November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

Source: REUTERS

Women's rights are under attack and "we must fight back," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday, warning that the world cannot stand by as progress is reversed.

At a United Nations event on the eve of International Women's Day on Saturday, Guterres said centuries of discrimination against women were being exacerbated by new threats.

"Digital tools, while brimming with promise, are also often silencing women's voices, amplifying bias, and fuelling harassment," he said on Friday. "Women's bodies have become political battlegrounds."

"And online violence is escalating into real-life violence. Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we are witnessing the mainstreaming of chauvinism and misogyny," Guterres said.

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He urged the world to fight back, stressing that gender equality was not just about fairness.

"It is about power – who gets a seat at the table, and who is locked out," Guterres said. "It is about dismantling systems that allow inequalities to fester. And it is about ensuring a better world for all."

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters