Ensuring Rights and Justice for All Women IWD 2026

By Esther Chikwukaodinaka, B.Pharm. (GHMe SYP 2025).

Ama is a young woman. She is free, yet she does not fully have rights to her body, her health, or even her education.

Her story is not hers alone—it is the story of millions of women and girls around the world.

On 6 March 2026, the world marks International Women’s Day (IWD) under the theme:

“Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

This theme could not be timelier. It challenges us not only to acknowledge women’s rights, but to actively ensure they are protected, implemented, and experienced in everyday life. Among all fundamental rights, the right to health stands central. Women’s health is not a “women’s issue.” It is a societal issue. When women are healthy, families thrive, communities prosper, and nations become more resilient. The health of women directly determines the strength and sustainability of society.

Yet violence against women continues to undermine this right. According to World Health Organization (WHO), approximately one in three women aged 15 years and older has experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner. For over two decades, this statistic has remained alarmingly consistent. In regions such as Oceania, Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, prevalence ranges between 33% and 51%.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is indiscriminate. It affects women across age, class, and geography. Its consequences extend beyond immediate physical harm to long-term mental, emotional, social, and economic impacts. Survivors often experience depression, anxiety, trauma, and chronic health conditions long after the violence has ended.

Reproductive health consequences are equally severe. These include unintended pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy complications, miscarriage, and unsafe abortions. Silence, stigma, and lack of awareness prevent many survivors from seeking care or even recognizing that what they experienced constitutes violence.

Healthcare professionals must be trained to identify warning signs of GBV and provide confidential, compassionate, and comprehensive support within primary healthcare systems. We call on Governments to move beyond policy promises and ensure effective implementation of protective laws. Rights written on paper are promises. Justice is the action that fulfills those promises. Justice means that a woman in a rural community does not have to choose between

buying food and paying for a life-saving Caesarean section. It means healthcare systems are equipped to address women’s unique needs, including mental health and non-communicable diseases as they age.

Ethiopia has demonstrated that justice in action is possible. Community-based initiatives that bring Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) services directly to women—particularly in markets and community spaces—have increased contraceptive use, antenatal attendance, facility-based births, and postnatal care utilization. When services go to women, rather than expecting women to overcome structural barriers, health outcomes improve.

Despite global commitments, gender equality remains unfinished business. No country has fully achieved Sustainable Development Goal 5: to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. While progress has been made in education and health access, economic and political parity remain significantly behind.

Therefore, as we commemorate IWD 2026, we call on all sectors; health, education, politics, and the economy to take measurable action:

1. Strengthen community-based healthcare systems that bring reproductive health services to women, especially in rural and underserved areas.

2. Integrate post-rape care and comprehensive GBV support into primary healthcare facilities, ending stigma and silence.

3. Empower women with financial and digital literacy skills through mentorships, internships, and inclusive economic initiatives.

4. Promote women’s leadership by mandating equitable representation in public office and decision-making spaces, starting from local councils.

Gender equality cannot remain a declaration—it must become lived reality. This year’s theme is not a message for governments alone. It is a call to every individual. Each of us has a role to play in advocating for equal rights, supporting survivors, challenging harmful norms, and ensuring that women and girls experience justice in their homes, communities, and institutions.

When women’s rights are protected, women’s health improves. When women’s health improves, nations prosper.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2026, we leave you with one question:

What action are you taking to ensure Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL women and girls?

--

Thank you to Esther for your valuable perspective. For any inquiries related to the GHMe Blog, please contact our team at globalhealthmentorships@gmail.com

Disclaimer: This blog was prepared by the author, in his/her/their personal capacity. The opinions, views, and thoughts expressed in the blog belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views of Global Health Mentorships.