ImpACT International | Tracing Key Gender-Based Human Rights Issues Worldwide – impactpolicies.org

ImpACT International | Tracing Key Gender-Based Human Rights Issues Worldwide – impactpolicies.org

 

Report on Global Gender-Based Human Rights Issues and Their Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Gender-based human rights violations present fundamental obstacles to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Structural discrimination against women, girls, and marginalized gender groups undermines progress across multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality). This report analyzes three critical areas of concern—economic inequality, barriers to reproductive health, and gender-based violence—highlighting their direct opposition to SDG targets and examining global resistance movements as drivers of change.

Analysis of Key Issues Impeding Progress on the SDGs

Economic Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap: A Barrier to SDG 1, SDG 5, and SDG 8

Persistent economic disparities directly contravene the principles of sustainable development, hindering the achievement of several SDGs.

  • SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): The global gender pay gap, where women earn approximately 16% less per hour than men for equivalent work, is a clear violation of Target 8.5, which calls for equal pay for work of equal value. This gap is wider in some regions, such as Pakistan (25%), indicating a failure to ensure decent work for all.
  • SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The underrepresentation of women in leadership and occupational segregation are key drivers of the pay gap, working against Target 5.5 (ensure women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership).
  • SDG 1 (No Poverty): Economic inequality limits women’s financial autonomy and perpetuates cycles of poverty, especially for marginalized communities, thereby obstructing progress toward eradicating poverty.

Underlying Causes Linked to SDG Targets

The root causes of economic inequality are deeply tied to failures in meeting specific SDG targets:

  1. Unpaid Care Burden: The disproportionate responsibility of women for unpaid domestic and caregiving work, a focus of SDG Target 5.4, reduces their capacity to engage in paid employment.
  2. Legal and Policy Gaps: Inadequate enforcement of equal pay laws and a lack of comprehensive anti-discrimination protections undermine SDG Target 5.1 (end all forms of discrimination).
  3. Social Norms: Societal expectations that limit women’s career choices are significant barriers to achieving full gender equality as envisioned in SDG 5.

Legal Barriers to Reproductive Health: Contravening SDG 3 and SDG 5

Access to sexual and reproductive health is a cornerstone of gender equality and overall well-being. Legal and political barriers worldwide directly challenge the achievement of related SDG targets.

  • SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Target 5.6 aims to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. Restrictive abortion laws, such as those implemented in several U.S. states following the overturning of federal protections, represent a significant regression from this goal.
  • SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Target 3.7 focuses on ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. Policy regressions, including the potential expansion of the “global gag rule,” threaten funding for organizations providing essential care, thereby jeopardizing public health outcomes.
  • SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): Outdated laws concerning marriage, inheritance, and family rights in many nations undermine women’s autonomy and their ability to make independent health decisions, reflecting a failure of institutions to provide justice for all.

In contrast, France’s 2024 constitutionalization of abortion rights demonstrates a positive step toward embedding SDG 5.6 into national legal frameworks, illustrating that progress is attainable.

Combatting Gender-Based Violence: An Imperative for SDG 5 and SDG 16

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive human rights violation that severely impedes sustainable development.

Scale and Scope in Relation to SDG Targets

  • SDG Target 5.2 (Eliminate Violence Against Women): The goal to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls is far from being met. Statistics show that approximately one in three women globally experiences physical or sexual violence.
  • SDG Target 16.1 (Reduce all forms of violence): High rates of femicide, with tens of thousands of women killed annually by partners or family members, highlight a critical failure to reduce violence and related death rates.
  • Economic Impact: The economic cost of GBV, estimated at up to 3.7% of GDP in some countries, detracts from resources that could be invested in achieving other SDGs.

The roots of GBV lie in unequal power relations and the failure of legal systems to protect victims and ensure accountability, directly challenging the core principles of SDG 16 (Justice and Strong Institutions).

Regional Case Studies: Challenges and Resistance in Achieving SDG 5

Iran: Codified Discrimination vs. SDG 5.1

Iran’s legal framework institutionalizes gender discrimination in areas such as marriage, divorce, and public life, in direct opposition to SDG Target 5.1 (end all forms of discrimination). The state’s enforcement of strict dress codes and the violent suppression of dissent represent severe violations of human rights. The “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement symbolizes a powerful and resilient struggle to achieve the fundamental rights outlined in SDG 5.

Afghanistan: Systemic Gender Exclusion and the Reversal of SDG Progress

The exclusion of women and girls from secondary education and public life under Taliban rule constitutes a catastrophic reversal of progress on SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 5. This situation demonstrates how political change can rapidly dismantle advancements toward the SDGs, creating one of the world’s most severe gender crises and underscoring the fragility of development gains without sustained international and local support.

United States: Regression on Reproductive Rights and SDG 5.6

The revocation of federal abortion rights has created profound disparities in access to reproductive healthcare, representing a significant setback for achieving SDG Target 5.6. The resulting landscape endangers women’s health and autonomy. However, the large-scale mobilization of civil society in response illustrates a powerful counter-movement dedicated to restoring and protecting these essential rights.

Global Resistance and the Path Forward for Gender Equality

The Role of Civil Society in Advancing the SDG Agenda

Across the globe, gender justice movements are crucial for holding states accountable to their SDG commitments. These movements utilize grassroots organizing and digital advocacy to demand progress.

  • #EleNão (Brazil): Mobilized millions to oppose misogynistic governance, linking gender equality to the health of democratic institutions (SDG 16).
  • #NiUnaMenos (Latin America): A powerful campaign against femicide that has successfully influenced policy and public attitudes, advancing SDG Target 5.2.
  • Feminist Activism (Myanmar): Demonstrates resilience in adapting strategies to sustain pressure for women’s rights amidst authoritarian repression.

Conclusion

Gender-based human rights violations are deeply interconnected and represent a primary impediment to the 2030 Agenda. The experiences in Iran, Afghanistan, and the United States illustrate how institutionalized discrimination, whether through legal code, systemic exclusion, or policy regression, undermines the foundations of sustainable development. Achieving the SDGs, particularly SDG 5, requires comprehensive legal and policy reforms, cultural transformation, and unwavering international support for the civil society movements courageously leading the fight for equality and justice.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s extensive discussion on legal barriers to reproductive health, access to safe abortion, maternal care, and contraception directly connects to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being.
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. It addresses gender equality through its focus on ending discrimination, eliminating gender-based violence, ensuring access to reproductive rights, and tackling economic disparities like the gender pay gap.
  • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The section on “Economic Inequality and the Gender Pay Gap” directly relates to this goal by highlighting the lack of equal pay for work of equal value and the barriers women face in achieving full and productive employment.
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article connects to this goal by discussing institutionalized discrimination, legal and policy gaps, the lack of enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and violence against women as a pervasive human rights violation. The case studies of Iran and Afghanistan highlight the breakdown of just and inclusive institutions for women.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

  • SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
    1. Target 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. The article directly addresses this target by discussing “significant legal and systemic obstacles to accessing sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, safe abortion, and maternal care.” The case studies of the US and France illustrate both regression and progress concerning this target.
  • SDG 5: Gender Equality
    1. Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The entire article is framed around this target, detailing “deep-rooted structural discrimination” in economic, legal, and social spheres. The case study of Iran, with its “codified discrimination” in law, is a stark example.
    2. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls. The section “Combatting Gender-Based Violence” is entirely dedicated to this target, discussing physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and femicide.
    3. Target 5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices, such as… female genital mutilation (FGM). The article explicitly mentions that “Harmful practices like FGM affect about 200 million women and girls worldwide.”
    4. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work. This is identified as an underlying cause of economic inequality, as the article states, “Women disproportionately shoulder unpaid domestic and caregiving responsibilities, reducing their ability to engage fully in paid employment.”
    5. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership. The article points to the “underrepresentation of women in leadership” as a factor in the gender pay gap and notes the “near-total exclusion from public life for women” in Afghanistan, including being “excluded from government roles.”
    6. Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. This target is a central focus of the section “Legal Barriers to Reproductive Health,” which discusses restrictive laws and policy regressions that undermine women’s reproductive autonomy.
  • SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
    1. Target 8.5: Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The section on the “gender pay gap” directly addresses this target, defining it as “the difference between the average wages of men and women performing comparable work.”
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    1. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article addresses this by citing statistics on femicide: “In 2020, tens of thousands of women were killed globally because of their gender, with intimate partners or family members responsible for the majority of murders.”
    2. Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law… and ensure equal access to justice for all. The article highlights the failure to meet this target by pointing to “Legal and Policy Gaps,” where countries “lack stringent enforcement of equal pay laws or fail to enact comprehensive anti-discrimination protections.” The situation in Iran is described as “severe institutionalized gender discrimination codified in law.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

  • Gender Pay Gap Statistics: The article provides specific data points to measure progress towards Target 8.5. It states, “On average, women earn roughly 16% less per hour than men for equivalent labor,” and “in Pakistan, women earn 25% less on an hourly basis compared to men.” These figures are direct indicators of wage disparity.
  • Prevalence of Violence Against Women: To measure Target 5.2, the article provides the indicator that “Approximately one in three women worldwide experiences physical or sexual violence.” It also notes that “less than 40% of survivors globally seek help, and fewer than 10% report to authorities,” which can serve as an indicator for access to justice and support services.
  • Prevalence of Harmful Practices: For Target 5.3, the article gives a clear indicator: “Harmful practices like FGM affect about 200 million women and girls worldwide.”
  • Legal Frameworks for Gender Equality: As an indicator for Target 5.1, the article implies the need to measure the existence and scope of discriminatory laws. It provides a specific example: “in Kenya, women hold approximately 81% of the legal rights that men possess.” The discussion of abortion laws in the US and France also serves as a qualitative indicator of legal frameworks for reproductive rights (Target 5.6).
  • Women’s Participation in the Workforce: The article provides an indicator for women’s economic participation (related to Target 5.5 and 8.5) by stating that in Pakistan, “women comprise only 13.5% of the formal workforce.”
  • Femicide Rates: As a direct indicator for Target 16.1, the article mentions that “tens of thousands of women were killed globally because of their gender” in 2020, with most murders committed by partners or family.
  • Economic Cost of Violence: The article suggests an economic indicator for the impact of gender-based violence (Target 5.2), noting it is “estimated to consume up to 3.7% of GDP in some countries.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Targets Indicators Identified in the Article
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. Existence of restrictive vs. protective laws on abortion and contraception (e.g., US overturning Roe v. Wade, France constitutionalizing abortion rights).
SDG 5: Gender Equality 5.1: End all forms of discrimination. The proportion of legal rights women possess compared to men (e.g., 81% in Kenya); existence of codified discriminatory laws (e.g., Iran).
5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Proportion of women experiencing physical or sexual violence (1 in 3); proportion of survivors seeking help (
5.3: Eliminate all harmful practices. Number of women and girls affected by FGM (approx. 200 million).
5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work. The disproportionate burden of unpaid care on women is mentioned as a cause of economic inequality, implying a need to measure it.
5.5: Ensure women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership. Proportion of women in the formal workforce (13.5% in Pakistan); exclusion of women from government roles (Afghanistan).
5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Legal status of reproductive rights and access to services (e.g., patchwork of state laws in the US).
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth 8.5: Achieve equal pay for work of equal value. The gender pay gap percentage (average 16% globally, 25% in Pakistan).
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions 16.1: Reduce all forms of violence and related death rates. Number of women killed due to their gender (tens of thousands in 2020).
16.3: Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice. Lack of stringent enforcement of equal pay laws; existence of institutionalized discrimination codified in law.

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