by Dimitra Staikou
On March 16, 2026, in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan, at least eight women lost their lives and dozens more were injured when the roof of a building collapsed as they had gathered to receive state financial aid. They had been forced onto the rooftop due to severe overcrowding, in a process that was ostensibly designed to support them. This incident is not merely an “accident”; it starkly illustrates the vulnerability of women even within programs intended for their protection. Just weeks earlier, in early February 2026, in the province of Punjab (Pakistan), a young woman was murdered by members of her own family in yet another “honour killing,” reportedly for refusing a forced marriage. The case triggered limited local reactions, without leading to meaningful public debate or accountability—an all too familiar pattern.
In January 2026, an analysis by the Pakistani newspaper Dawn laid bare a reality that rarely changes: courts in the country continue to misinterpret even fundamental concepts such as consent, leaving rape victims effectively unprotected by the very system meant to deliver justice. In this context, every new incident of gender-based violence is not an isolated tragedy but part of a deeper structural failure, where justice remains uncertain and impunity often the norm. At the same time, official rhetoric moves in a very different direction. In a speech marking International Women’s Day in 2025, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, stated that “women’s empowerment is no longer a choice but a necessity for Pakistan’s progress and prosperity,” emphasizing that it is a “mission and unwavering commitment” of the government. Yet this narrative of institutional commitment stands in stark contrast to the lived reality of women.
The position of women in Pakistan is not simply another case of gender inequality; it represents one of the clearest examples of a systemic failure by a state to safeguard basic human rights. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranks last among 148 countries, closing only 56.7% of its overall gender gap and further worsening its position compared to previous years. The index, which evaluates equality across economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment, reflects a reality in which women are systematically excluded from the labor market and decision-making processes. According to UN Women, women make up only about 22% of the workforce, while their political representation remains limited to just 20.5% of parliamentary seats. At the same time, a significant proportion of women report having experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner, with the true scale of the phenomenon likely much higher due to underreporting. Pakistan’s last-place ranking is not merely a statistic; it is a reflection of a society where inequality is not the exception but the rule.
Reports by Amnesty International (2024) and Human Rights Watch (2025) consistently document the same pattern: weak enforcement of legislation, widespread impunity for gender-based violence, and social practices that continue to legitimize the oppression of women. Amnesty notes that women in Pakistan “continue to face significant barriers in accessing justice,” while Human Rights Watch emphasizes that gender-based violence “remains pervasive, with authorities consistently failing to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable.” Practices such as forced marriages and so-called “honour killings” persist within an environment of institutional tolerance. While the political leadership seeks to project an image of modernization and international engagement, the everyday reality of women exposes a profound gap between rhetoric and reality. The failure to protect women’s rights is not merely a moral issue; it acts as a brake on sustainable development, undermining both social cohesion and economic progress. The problem, therefore, is not a lack of awareness or international pressure, but a lack of genuine political will.
At the same time, the situation in Pakistan is not isolated but part of a broader and deeply concerning regional dynamic. In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime has effectively excluded women from education and public life, reinstating practices once thought to belong to the past. In Iran, the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini revealed the violent enforcement of control over women’s bodies and freedoms. Within this context, Pakistan is not an exception but part of a wider trend in which resistance to gender equality not only persists but, in some cases, intensifies.
The undermining of women’s status in Pakistan is not an internal anomaly, but part of a broader bloc of states where women’s rights are treated as negotiable. This pattern is also evident in countries with which Pakistan maintains close ties, such as China and Turkey—contexts where the control of women’s autonomy is increasingly normalized rather than exceptional.
In China, allegations regarding the treatment of Uyghur women in Xinjiang have revealed a particularly disturbing dimension of gender-based oppression. Reports by international organizations and testimonies from survivors describe forced sterilizations, compulsory intrauterine device insertions, and systematic monitoring of reproductive lives—practices that amount to an organized policy of population control. At the same time, in 2025 and 2026, new testimonies continued to emerge reinforcing this pattern, while incidents of gender-based violence within the country often disappear from public discourse due to strict state censorship.
In Turkey, the erosion of women’s rights extends beyond institutional decisions and is increasingly reflected in everyday life. In 2025, organizations such as the “We Will Stop Femicide Platform” recorded hundreds of femicides, many of which had been previously reported to authorities without effective protection being provided. In 2026, controversial court rulings drew public criticism, as perpetrators of violence against women received reduced sentences by invoking so-called “provocative behavior” of the victims, reintroducing harmful stereotypes within the justice system itself.
If what is unfolding today resembles a form of global conflict, it would be a mistake to view it solely as a struggle between states, interests, or markets. From the tensions in the Middle East involving Iran, Israel, and the United States, to the deeper ideological divisions shaping the world, what emerges is something more fundamental: a conflict over what progress means and which rights are worth defending.
Within this divide—often framed as a clash between West and East—the position of women reveals the truth behind competing narratives of power. In the East, oppression is imposed through the distortion and instrumentalization of the Quran, turning religion from a space of faith into a tool of control over women. In the West, meanwhile, the resurgence of conservative models—even through movements such as the so-called “tradwives”—reintroduces, in new forms, hierarchies once believed to be obsolete. The erosion of equality, therefore, is not geographically confined; it is global.
Perhaps this is the most dangerous aspect of our time: amid a broader crisis of values, the essence is being lost. The real question is not which side will prevail geopolitically, but whether the world being shaped will genuinely improve human living conditions—and especially those of women, who remain at the center of this conflict. If this is indeed a global war, it will not be decided only on battlefields or in markets—but on whether equality remains a right or becomes a privilege.
About the Author:
Dimitra Staikou is a Greek lawyer, journalist, and professional writer with extensive expertise on South Asia, China, and the Middle East. Her analyses on geopolitics, international trade, and human rights have been published in leading outlets, including Modern Diplomacy, HuffPost Greece, Skai.gr, Eurasia Review, and the Daily Express (UK). Fluent in English, Greek, and Spanish, Dimitra combines legal insight with on-the-ground reporting and creative storytelling, offering a nuanced perspective on global affairs.
