Pushing forward against the pushback: Gender data shows progress but sustained and strategic action needed
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Women participating in a WE-RISE project meeting in Sudan. The Sudan No Woman is Left Behind-Empowering Women (WE-RISE) farmers project aims to empower women in Sudan through economic empowerment and is funded by the European Union, led by UN Women and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, in partnership with Kassala and Gadaref universities.
Photo credit: UN Women | Muna Elsadaty
Rights. Equality. Empowerment. The theme of this year's International Women's Day under the umbrella theme For ALL Women and Girls could not have come at a more opportune time.
Exactly thirty years after the Beijing Conference, where, for the first time, women's rights were recognised as human rights, women and girls have come a long way: more girls than ever before have access to education, more girls have the opportunity to grow up and become adults rather than get married off as children, and more women have agency, access to employment, and space in both public and private sector leadership.
In East and Southern Africa, laws, rights, culture, opportunities, and barriers related to the progress of women and girls continue to elicit interest and action, as well as mixed responses. Like elsewhere, issues such as access to and ownership of land, equal pay for equal work, peace and security, and unpaid work and childcare still attract some pushback in countries here.
This is despite African governments’ commitments to gender equality through instruments such as The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, better known as the Maputo Protocol, and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063−the continent’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.
UN Women East and Southern Africa’s Regional Gender Equality Profile finds that these, and others, have prompted the proliferation of laws, policies, action plans, and initiatives to address gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) at different regional levels.
More laws, noteworthy progress
Indeed, in the past two decades, and much more in past five years, East and Southern Africa has realised an unprecedented uptick in legislative reforms for gender equality and women’s empowerment.Most countries here have included gender equality guarantees in their constitutions, issued overarching gender equality legislation, mainstreamed gender in their national development plans, and developed sectoral gender policies and strategies.
Many countries have also learned the growing practice of gender-responsive budgeting, how to produce more regular and reliable gender statistics to properly measure and track the progress of women and girls, and how to expand partnerships with the most diverse stakeholders to reinforce action for gender equality.
“In Uganda, the law requires ministries, departments, and agencies to prove how their programmes and interventions will or have already addressed gender gaps before they can access the national budget,” said Margaret Kyomukama, Assistant Commissioner for Gender in Uganda’s Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
“Parliamentarians regularly engage in gender-responsive budgeting and related efforts and the compliance level for ministries, departments, and agencies is strict,” said Kyomukama.
Political and institutional reforms, including the adoption of gender quotas, have driven wins for women and girls in education, political representation, and access to financial services in East and Southern Africa;according to UN Women East and Southern Africa’s Regional Gender Equality Profile,Southern Africa now has the highest representation for women in Africa (32 per cent share of women in the single/lower house of Parliament), closely followed by East Africa, which has 31 per cent representation.
In Rwanda, the number of women parliamentarians exceeded that of men, with the country marking the highest share of women in single/lower houses worldwide (61 per cent). This record achievement is mirrored at the local level, with women representing 62 per cent of the elected leadership of sub-national authorities. Moreover, women’s representation in single/lower houses is above the 30 per cent threshold in Angola, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi.
Growing pushback for women’s and girls’ rightsand the rise of technology-facilitated gender-based violence
However, UN Women’s report “Women's Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing” published earlier this month shows that in 2024, one in four governments worldwide reported a backlash on women’s rights. Despite important progress, only 87 countries globally have ever been led by a woman, and the latest data shows that every 10 minutes, a woman or girl is killed by a partner or member of her own family, up from the previous data of a woman or girl being killed every 11 minutes.
“Despite the huge potential of technology to accelerate progress, in many cases, it has also been weaponised against women and girls,” said UN Women Chief of Data and Research Papa Seck.
“This is what we see on a lot of social media today−technology-facilitated gender-based violence/violence against women, an area that UN Women is studying,” said Seck.
In Kenya, a 2024 study shows that 90 per cent of young adults enrolled in Nairobi’s tertiary institutions have witnessed technology-facilitated gender-based violence (GBV), with nearly four in 10 (39 per cent) having experienced it personally.
The study by the Collaborative Center for Gender and Development (CCGD) with the University of Nairobi and UNFPA shows that while online violence has an extensive reach, female students are disproportionately impacted; nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) have experienced at least one type of online violence compared to only about one in three (36 per cent) of male students.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence/violence against women (TFGBV/VAW) is especially common when women vie for political seats or public leadership therefore undermining women’s representation and therefore contribution to public decision-making.
Conflict and the disproportionate effects on women and girls
In the past decade, the world has registered a disturbing 50 percent increase in the number of women and girls living in conflict; women’s rights defenders confront daily harassment, personal attacks and even death as evidenced by recent data from Sudan.
Of these, 14 per cent of female-headed households are experiencing severe food insecurity compared to 7 per cent of male-headed households. Civic space for the defenders of women’s rights in Sudan has shrunk since the fighting started in April 2023.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reports alarming trends of targeted threats of sexual violence against women human rights defenders and female humanitarian volunteers including death threats and smear campaigns with some reportedly having disappeared. Those threatened did not have funds to relocate and/or were unable to move freely due to the deteriorating security situation and social stigma.
A message of hope in a time of flux
“When women and girls can rise, we all thrive. Yet, globally, women’s human rights are under attack. Instead of mainstreaming equal rights, we’re seeing the mainstreaming of misogyny,” said António Guterres, UN Secretary-General in remarks for International Women’s Day 2025.
Yet, even in these challenging times, a strong message of hope is heard from across the region, and globally: despite the slow, uneven, and even fragile pace, progress is possible.
“Complex challenges stand in the way of gender equality and women’s empowerment, but we remain steadfast, pushing forward with ambition and resolve. Women and girls are demanding change—and they deserve nothing less,” affirmed UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous.
The just-ended 69th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69)−the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment−reviewed the progress made on the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which remains the most revolutionary plan on gender equality to date. Since 1995, the Beijing Platform for Action—a revolutionary plan for gender equality that set the stage for change on a massive scale—continues to shape our world and pave the way for a just and equal future for ALL women and girls.
Indeed, the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), which saw 159 submissions by Member States, amply demonstrated that governments can not only raise their voice on but can also take action to accelerate the pace of change.
Ubah Hassan Ade (left) and Kafia Abdi Farah (right), camp leaders at Fanoole refugee camp in Kismayo, Somalia, interact with other camp residents.
Photo credit: UN Women | James Ochweri
Six +1 actions to accelerate progress
The imperative is thus to meet the moment with not just words but sustained and strategic action. This entails action on the critical areas of a digital revolution to close the gender gap in technology, peace and security that prioritises healthcare over warfare, and climate justice that ensures that progress does not come at the planet’s expense and that of future generations’.
Recent data from UN Women’s “Women's Rights in Review 30 Years After Beijing” shows that a girl born today will be 137 years old by the time that women will no longer be the face of poverty, and 68 years old by the time forced and child marriage is eradicated globally.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) rates in East and Southern Africa remain high with Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, and Eritrea having the highest rates worldwide (around 90 per cent of women) and the region still topping rates of early marriage, even if there is a marked decline in several countries.
Despite most countries adopting laws prohibiting and criminalising the GBV and the establishment of specialised services such as GBV courts, police units, and shelters, East and Southern Africa continues to endure high rates of GBV even in the face of increasing awareness and political goodwill, which will bring dividends.
The push for zero violence by transforming harmful norms and supporting survivors is thus a critical priority, as is freedom from poverty through strong social protection, and equal decision-making power for women in politics and beyond.
The all-important youth—the next generation of leaders and changemakers—comprise the “+1” for priority action areas with emphasis on incorporating and heeding their voices as catalysts for lasting change.
Underscoring the importance of rights, equality and empowerment for ALL women and girls comes at a time when the risk of regressing is real. However, this is not the time to back down or retreat.
As we take this Women’s Month of March to reconsider the state of women and girls, the call is to stand our ground and, in fact, forge forward for the benefit of women and girls and therefore society at large.
Let 2025 go down in history as the year that we stood our ground, pushed forward against the pushback, and accelerated the transformation of commitments into results under the solemn promise for African women and girls.
By Sylvia Maina, Regional Gender Statistics Communications Specialist, UN Women Eastern and Southern Africa.
