Human rights are considered at their core a universal, fundamental, and basic right. Yet recent events have proven that women’s rights are under threat globally, due to the appointment of tyrannical leaders, discrimination, and the failures of protection by international law. Consequently, the political climate which women now face is characterised by uncertainty and fear, as patriarchal structures and beliefs continue to undermine women’s autonomy. 

 

The most notable case of political leaders purposefully infringing on women’s rights is Donald Trump and the overturn of Roe v Wade in 2022. It was a court ruling that rocked the nation as women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy became a matter of state jurisdiction at the hands of a male-dominated majority. This comes as a consequence of Trump appointing three judges during his tenure, ensuring a strong conservative base in the Supreme Court, ensuring that polarising issues like abortion would fall in favour of Republican sentiment. However, the Roe v Wade overturn is so much more than just an isolated incident; it represents a broader trend within wider international society in which women’s freedom is considered not a necessity but a privilege. 

 

Women’s reproductive rights and bodily autonomy became a matter of state jurisdiction.

87% of Sudanese women from the ages of 14 to 49 have suffered from female genital mutilation procedures, whilst in Afghanistan the women’s right crisis is at its peak, with the Taliban cracking down on bans on women’s employment and education and detaining women for not wearing a ‘proper hijab’. Yet, the response of international organisations has been less than satisfactory, and arguably anti-women, as in the battle between diplomacy or protecting women’s rights, diplomacy always wins. For example, the Taliban was recently invited to the UN climate conference for the first time in history. This shows to me that our international society would rather tolerate the Taliban’s abuse than fight on behalf of women, not just in Afghanistan but globally, which is a truly frightening thought. 

 

International organisations neglect of and apathy towards the protection of women’s rights is also shrouded in bias against migrants.  A recent EU directive on violence against women did not include provisions for undocumented migrant women, failing to protect them against immigration enforcement should they need to report abuse to the police. This is a clear violation and contradiction of the values which bind the states of the EU, especially the value of ensuring the equal treatment of women regardless of their residence status. Legislation such as this, which disregards migrant women in comparison to the rest of the female population, is incredibly dangerous and lends women to face frequent exploitation in the labour and sex markets, meaning their exposure to abuse is high. If we cannot trust international law to not discriminate, then it is evident the rights of women globally are not guaranteed. 

 

Freedoms which women have fought so persistently for will become an echo of the past.

The narrative which women are confronted with today is alarming as international developments threaten a return to patriarchy and chauvinism, and for some countries, this is already a reality. It is now more imperative than ever that the protection and support of women’s rights become more than a conversation. Instead, they need to become a priority of the international policy agenda. Otherwise, the freedoms which women have fought so persistently for will become an echo of the past.

 

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