Celebrating Women and Girls’ Bodily Autonomy and Empowerment

8 March 2022

Good morning to all. I am honoured and delighted to be able to participate in this celebration of International Women's Day.

Today's topic should be an indisputable one: women and girls must be free to make intimate choices about their bodies, their sexuality and their lives. This autonomy lies at the very heart of their universal and fundamental rights to equality, privacy and bodily integrity, and it is critical to the enjoyment of all other rights.

Yet, as we mark this day in 2022, we are still living in a world where millions of women and girls are denied the ability to make choices about their bodies and lives. They are stripped of decision making on if and when to have children, and how many. They are excluded from jobs because they are pregnant, or because care and family responsibilities are unequally distributed. The choice on if and when to marry is taken away from them, and they are forced into early marriage. They are subjected to domestic and gender-based violence, and have little access to protection, support or remedy.

As a result of these and many other abuses, women and girls miss vital years of education and livelihood opportunities.

Their own concerns, beliefs and perspectives are flagrantly ignored by systems and societies which are patriarchal, abusive and discriminatory.

It is a simple fact that when women and girls have autonomy and agency and can make decisions about their own bodies – free from violence and coercion – they are empowered to reach their full potential.

And we can advance towards more just, equal and thriving societies.

We still have a long way to go to reach this goal, but together, we can achieve equality.

To do so, we must directly address and dismantle deeply engrained patriarchal power structures.

Concretely, Governments need to accelerate action to ensure the bodily autonomy and integrity of women and girls. For example, they must work towards eliminating maternal mortality. They must improve access to contraception and safe abortion services. They must empower and inform adolescents and offer comprehensive sexuality education. All girls and women must have access to schools and universities.

Eliminating sexual and gender-based violence – everywhere – is an urgent priority. Harmful practices against women and girls - such as female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage - are unacceptable and must be stopped.

Today - and every day - we should celebrate the unstoppable energy, commitment and demands of courageous feminist activists from all walks of life and identities who have been at the forefront of women's rights for decades.

Thanks to their work, the lives of women and girls have changed for the better, the world over. Global maternal mortality rates have halved. Legal frameworks, policies and specific institutions have been put in place in virtually all countries to tackle gender-based violence.

This progress must not be slowed by power structures that want to resist change. We need to keep fighting against any backlash we may face.

This topic matters – vitally - to all of us. Together, and in solidarity with each other, we must stand up for the rights of every woman and girl, and deliver on the promise of achieving gender equality.

Thank you.