UN Women highlights the need for women's bodily autonomy
Jakarta (ANTARA) - UN Women, a United Nations agency promoting gender equality, has highlighted the need for women to have bodily autonomy, a fundamental human right that enables them to make decisions about their bodies, health, and futures.
“So, we indeed must have bodily autonomy; women must have bodily autonomy,” said Dwi Yuliawati, Head of Programmes for UN Women Indonesia, at the International Women’s Day event organised by UN Global Pulse in Jakarta on Wednesday.
At IWD 2026, whose theme was “Rights, Justice, Action for All Women and Girls,” Dwi outlined the rights that women need to be protected by the state.
She cited data showing that worldwide women hold only 64 percent of the legal rights enjoyed by men. These rights are not only about access to justice but all rights more generally enjoyed by men and women in daily life.
Dwi revealed that one of the rights that cannot yet be enjoyed inclusively by women is legal rights. She also pointed out that globally, only 44 percent of countries guarantee equal pay for work of equal value for women and men.
Regarding justice, Dwi argued that justice is not something that only happens in courtrooms, but also when women’s rights are protected by law and only if the law and its instruments respect women’s rights.
“So we must bring this justice to a multidimensional understanding, a multidimensional concept of justice. That is what ensures women’s dignity and freedom,” she said.
In pursuing justice for women, Dwi emphasised that women’s identities are not single or uniform, because there are groups of women who can be categorised as more vulnerable and do not have better access to the justice system than women from other groups. “Well, this is what is referred to as structural barriers,” she said.
To that end, upholding justice and women’s rights to the law, she said, must be carried out inclusively.
After emphasising the importance of enforcing women’s rights to the law and their access to justice, Dwi also highlighted the importance of action, whereby such actions can be realised through policies that protect women, thereby affecting their safety and well-being.
At UN Women, several initiatives are underway to promote equal justice for women and girls, including urging the enforcement of laws to improve women’s access to justice.
UN Women is also working to create an ecosystem that supports the realisation of women’s rights, both in the workplace and within communities.
“Among these are collaboration with Srikandi Danantara, Danantara, the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), and the Indonesia Human Capital Forum in uniting various companies committed to building more gender-inclusive workplaces through a series of capacity-building activities and the implementation of action,” said Dwi.