“Gender Equality Without Justice Is Not Equality”
Every year, government representatives, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, youth ambassadors and journalists from all regions of the world gather at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the annual two-week sessions, considered the principal global intergovernmental entity dedicated to gender equality. Youth delegates raise concerns about access to justice for women, especially in marginalized communities. States reaffirm commitments. They highlight progress under United Nations Sustainable Development (Goal 5). They adopt the agreed conclusions promising to eliminate gender-based violence.
And yet, in 2024, 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members — one every ten minutes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and UN Women.
Statistics like this should shake us. It should dominate headlines. It should spark collective outrage loud enough to move systems.
Instead, It simply passes across our screens and disappears, never to be thought of again.
We currently live in a world where gender based violence (GBV) is shocking & cruel, yet still somehow normalized, especially against marginalized communities like migrant women and children. Each new femicide case we hear is solely treated like an isolated case, a one of a kind tragedy rather than a part of a systemic pattern of negligence and poor accountability. And when the survivor is a migrant or refugee woman/girl, the silence is even heavier. Across the world, more than 60 million women and girls who are forcibly displaced or stateless face high risks of gender-based violence.
Violence doesn't exist in a vacuum. Violence exists within borders, visa restrictions, media and public narratives, within public assumptions about who’s really “deserving” of help.
Global patterns continue to shape not only the experience of migration but also the reality and consequences of being a woman within it. In recent years, the increasing trend of externalization & militarization of borders has inevitably caused harm to the protection of migrant women and girls, not to mention the blatant discrimination and criminalization migrants/refugees face on a daily basis.
Borders themselves become more scrutinized, policies are shaped as security measures that often treat mobility as a threat rather than a human rights issue, but for migrant women, they're frequently translated into a heightened exposure of violence.
At the same time, we've all witnessed the rise of the extremist right-wing political ideologies with the anti-migration rhetoric, it hasn't only helped in fueling more hate crimes against those displaced communities, but also normalized the dehumanizing public narratives that legitimize exclusionary policies and further increase the risk of gender based violence against migrant women and girls.
Reaching their destination doesn't mean reaching safety. For many migrant women, it marks the start of new struggles. Discrimination based on gender, race, nationality, and migration status shapes every aspect of their lives. In European context, specifically Sweden, A study found that out of 1,773 migrant women; 25% experienced Sexual Violence, with 9% reporting incidents of rape.
“Policy evidence shows that irregular migration significantly increases the risk of gender-based violence and trafficking for women and girls…” (2021, UN Women policy brief)
Gender and migration are intersecting factors that mutually affect each other, including the risks and vulnerabilities that they may face. According to UN Data, reports of conflict-related sexual violence increased shockingly by 50%. Women and girls accounted for 95% of verified cases. The 2019 Trafficking In Persons Report similarly found that traffickers in the Caribbean target migrant women, particularly from Jamaica, Guyana, and the Dominican Republic.
Jasmine’s Story
The consequences of these structural failures aren't just theoretical, they are lived. When Jasmine arrived in Australia as a refugee, she believed she was finally safe. A new country with laws that are guaranteed to protect her, in theory.
But “protection” doesn't guarantee access.
Shortly after her arrival she experienced domestic abuse, but fear silenced her.
Not just fear of her partner, but also fear of the system that was supposed to protect her.
Would she risk her residency status? her financial support? Will anyone believe her?
For many migrant and refugee women these aren't brand new concerns, they're grounded in reality. Australia, as in other contexts like the United Kingdom, many migrant women on temporary visas are not permitted access to public funds, leaving them stranded without income, housing support or emergency welfare. Without access to this funding, in efforts to try to escape the violence, Jasmine became homeless. She felt that she had no options, nowhere to go. “Biggest Struggle of My Life” She said. “I can’t do anything. No one is hearing me out.”
For the most part, Jasmine’s experience is not unusual.
Researchfound that one in three migrant and refugee women in Australia report experiencing domestic and family violence, with many receiving threats of deportation or financial punishment if they dare seek help or safety.
Jasmine’s story reveals how protective laws do exist but structural barriers like her immigration status, language challenges, lack of public funding and cultural stigma prevented her from receiving that protection when she needed it the most.
The Question We Must Ask
On March 8th; International Women’s Day, the question isn’t whether migrant/refugee women are strong.
They are.
The question isn't whether commitments and laws exist
They do.
The question is whether our institutions are just. Whether young migrant women and girls can access justice without stigma or discrimination. Are we designing migration and youth policies that reflect the realities of their gender specific experiences? Are we allocating the resources and deserved funding in ways that recognize the exploitation and structural violence they face?
But perhaps most importantly; Arewe opening leadership pathways for young migrant women or quietly steering them toward “realistic” “easier” roles?
The uncomfortable reality is that most systems aren't designed with migrant women in mind. Legal frameworks may exist but implementation remains inconsistent & exclusionary. Gender-responsive migration policies aren't preventative, and young migrant women participation is often symbolic rather than structural. Moving forward requires shifting from this performative inclusion to actual structural accountability, one rooted in empowering approaches in order to build leadership and change.
Meaningful Youth Participation
For us youth, justice isn’t something to wait for. It’s something we build.
We cannot ignore the core. The measure of progress isn't measured by how loudly we cheer for women, how passionately we celebrate their achievements— but whether the most structurally marginalized can live freely, seeking justice without fearing consequences.
For Dr. Lara-Zuzan Golesorkhi, waiting wasn't an option. As the founder of Center for Migration, Gender and Justice (CMGJ), a migrant-led initiative focused on gender justice and inclusion, she recognized that young migrant women must move from being observers to policy makers.
Through her Migrant Youth Leadership Program (MYLP), which trains young migrants to understand migration law, analyze policy gaps and engage in advocacy spaces, she provided more than just education, but also built a sustainable leadership platform.
Her approach greatly aligned with the work of Migration Youth & Children Platform (MYCP), the official youth constituency for the Major Group for Children & Youth (MGCY) within the UN system.
MYCP brings together youth migrants & advocates from all across the world to engage in policy discussions, capacity building, advocacy and research. MYCP and CMGJ have collaborated to amplify youth voices and advocacy in international migration policy making, ensuring that young migrants, especially women, are meaningfully engaging in shaping global dialogues and policies affecting their lives. They've worked to strengthen migrant youth capacity to engage in decision making and push for a more gender-responsive migration governance that is grounded in justice and accountability.
Call to action
States must adopt a human rights based and gender responsive approach to migration governance as it is crucial for reducing GBV across borders, emphasizing the importance of meaningfully resourcing youth/women led migrant organizations.
Gender-related prosecutions must be considered as legitimate grounds for granting refugee status
Addressing root causes requires collaboration with non traditional actors, including migrant led organizations that understand protection gaps firsthand
Pushing forward a comprehensive approach that is evidence based where young migrant women and girls are actively engaging in conversations, sharing data, insights and evidence across multiple sectors
Sustaining more effort to provide legal support and assistance for young migrant women and girls along migration routes and borders, without fear of detention, retaliation or deportation
Migrant women aren't passive recipients of aid. They are right-holders, generators of solidarity in their communities of origin and destination.
Final thoughts
As we mark March as International Women's Month, the call is clear;
Migrant women must be heard and included.
They must move from the margins of performative protection frameworks to the center of migration governance. From their lived experiences like Jasmine’s and the millions of unheard stories, to the rising leadership women-led initiatives shaping global advocacy spaces, the path forward is clear. It's grounded in meaningful youth participation and structural reform through a gender justice & equity lens.
Gender justice is not symbolic.
It is political, systemic and long overdue.
References & Resources:
https://lac.iom.int/en/blogs/what-makes-migrants-vulnerable-gender-based-violence
https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women
https://humanrights.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Migrant-Led-Initiatives-Publication-1.pdf
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/fleeing-violence-facing-violence
https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/migrant-women-at-risk-of-violence-and-exploitation
https://gbvmigration.cnrs.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/rhm-article.pdf
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1471471/full
