United Nations (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 13 Mar 2026) Pakistan She called for renewed efforts to dismantle the discrimination and legal obstacles that continue to limit the rights of women and girls around the world.
“When women do not have access to justice, the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment is fundamentally weakened,” Senator Bushra Anjum Butt, head of the Pakistani delegation, told the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women held at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Speaking at a plenary debate on the theme “Promoting Access to Justice for All Women and Girls,” she cited the Honorable Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, the first Muslim woman to be elected Prime Minister, who told the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing that discrimination against women begins to erode when women are empowered to demand their rights.
“The theme of this session calls on us to translate this moral clarity into institutional reality – to ensure laws are protected, systems are responsive, and justice reaches every woman and girl without discrimination or access barriers,” said Senator Bushra Butt.
The committee meets in New York until March 19 in the presence of ministers and activists in the field of women’s rights and civil society.
In Pakistan, Senator Bushra Butt said that access to justice is based on constitutional guarantees of equality before the law, dignity, and due process. Institutional reforms have focused on enhancing the reach and responsiveness of justice systems.
She said more than 480 specialized gender-based violence courts operate in the country, complemented by legal aid, family courts, ombudsman mechanisms, laws protecting women’s rights and integrated protection services designed to deliver justice to women and girls.
“Women now make up approximately 21% of the judiciary and 17% of the prosecution service, with an increasing presence in the police,” the head of the Pakistani delegation said, adding that female judges serve in the High Courts and the Supreme Court – shaping gender-sensitive jurisprudence at the highest levels.
However, Senator Bushra Butt noted that structural barriers persist across the world for women and girls, from discriminatory norms to economic constraints.
“Addressing these challenges requires integrated action: repealing discriminatory laws; investing in gender-sensitive judicial infrastructure; expanding digital and legal assistance services; and consolidating legal knowledge to enable women to claim their rights.”
She described access to justice as a bridge between promised rights and achieved rights, saying: “If laws exist but cannot be accessed, justice is theoretical. If institutions exist but do not include women, justice is partial. If barriers remain unaddressed, equality remains an aspiration.”
Senator Bushra Butt called for moving from symbolic commitment to structural transformation.
“When women trust the law, democracy deepens; when institutions serve women equally, societies become inclusive; and when justice is within reach of every woman and girl, equality ceases to be an ideal – it becomes a reality.”
Sima Bahouth, Executive Director of UN Women, said in her opening remarks that ending violence against women and girls is “its own imperative and an accelerator” for achieving other development goals. Noting that this is an evolving challenge, she pointed to the impact of conflicts and rapidly evolving technology. Furthermore, women’s organizations are seeing their resources reduced as rates of violence rise. “Past gains have turned out to be more fragile than we had hoped,” she said.
Against this background, Ms. Research thanked the many Member States that partnered with the United Nations to improve global standards for preventing violence against women and girls.
“Your engagement with men and boys, ensuring survivor-centered justice and services for survivors, and embracing strong, independent women’s rights movements” have led to transformative success, she said.
Among other examples, Ms Bahih highlighted the Spotlight Initiative which helped launch 540 legal and policy reforms, with campaigns reaching 385 million people.
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