On 10 March 2026, UN Women hosted “Bridging Systemic Gaps: Advancing Justice for All Women and Girls,” a discussion aligned with the priority theme of CSW70. The event brought together policymakers, legal experts, civil society actors, and survivor advocates to address the structural barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing justice worldwide.
Across formal and informal justice systems, women and girls face persistent obstacles. Discriminatory laws, entrenched social norms, and practical barriers increase their vulnerability to violence and revictimization. Key areas where gaps are evident include family law, personal status, gender-based violence, employment and labor rights, and administrative justice. Community-based studies and surveys highlight these recurring pressure points.
The panellists shared examples of promising practices to improve access to justice, including interventions in post-conflict and crisis settings, digital justice initiatives, and engagement with traditional or customary justice systems, which often remain the primary avenue for women and girls seeking remedies.
Speakers emphasized the need for survivor-centred, intersectional, and fully financed justice systems. UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous called for reforms to eliminate discriminatory laws, strengthen justice institutions, expand legal aid, leverage data for people-centred justice, and support feminist movements driving change. Participants highlighted specialized police and court units, one-stop centres for gender-based violence response, and mobile services to reach women in rural areas as effective strategies.
The discussion also drew attention to often-overlooked barriers. Women with disabilities face significant challenges due to lack of accessibility, such as the absence of sign language interpreters, while women in institutional settings encounter severely limited access to justice. Intersectionality and the importance of sustained funding for women’s movements were recurring themes, recognizing that philanthropy often bridges the gap between legal frameworks and real-world implementation.
Political will was identified as critical for translating commitments into action. Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider of Switzerland emphasized that lack of access to justice deepens inequality and perpetuates impunity. Participants agreed that closing the justice gap requires more than legal reform—it demands sustained political commitment, institutional change, and robust support for feminist movements and civil society organizations working on the ground to make rights tangible for women and girls.
