Urgent action needed to end gender-based discrimination in public and political life

Stressing the need to make patriarchy “a thing of the past”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – Volker Türk – on Wednesday called for urgent action to end gender-based bias in public and political life against women.

Our future relies on girls and women being at all the tables when decisions are made, he added.

Greater Emphasis On Women’s Participation

For the first time in history, last year, women were represented in every functioning parliament across the globe, the High Commissioner continued.

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) is spotlighting women’s participation in public and political life in June as part of its monthly spotlights, marking the 75th year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Türk called on States, parliamentarians, the private sector, civil society, media, and every active citizen to take action, revealing certain steps that need to be paid attention to, starting with taking care of the root causes of gender-based bias against women.

It’s a Wake-Up Call

He called for greater recognition of the value of unpaid care work which often women need to be responsible for. Further, he asked for more emphasis on education, while highlighting the need for training opportunities to be expanded for women serving in key institutions.

UN treaty bodies need to maintain the push for gender parity, while zero tolerance against violence and harassment must become the norm.

The High Commissioner stressed the importance of granting women role models greater visibility.

If the current rate of change is maintained, it would take over 150 years for women and girls to nullify the gender gap, he said, adding historically marginalised women would face greater challenges with their representation lagging behind.

Türk called it a “wake-up call”, stressing “parity can’t wait”.