Women's movement around the world facing backlash, says UN rights chief

United Nations: On the eve of International Women’s Day, UN rights chief warned that the women’s movement around the world is facing a backlash that hurts both men and women.

In an official statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, “We need to be alert – the advances of the last few decades are fragile and should nowhere be taken for granted.”

The UN High Commissioner added that it is “extremely troubling” to see recent roll-back of fundamental legislation in many parts of the world.

Such roll-backs are “underpinned by the renewed obsession with controlling and limiting women’s decisions over their bodies and lives, and by views that a woman’s role should be essentially restricted to reproduction and the family,” he said.

While such pushbacks are carried out in the name of tradition, Mr. Zeid noted that they are often a response to segments of society calling for change.

Among examples he gave, Mr. Zeid pointed to recent legislation in Bangladesh, Burundi and the Russian Federation, which weakens women’s rights to fight against child marriage, marital rape and domestic violence, respectively.

He noted also the “fierce resistance” in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua to political and civil society efforts to open up access to sexual and reproductive rights.