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Ending Sex Discrimination in the Law
EQUALITY NOW – BEIJING+25
New discriminatory laws continue to be introduced. For example, a “marry your
rapist” legal provision was proposed in Turkey in 2016.8 It met with global resistance
and ultimately failed. In 2019, Iran’s parliament passed a bill, to be approved by
the Guardian Council of clerics and jurists, allowing fathers to marry their adopted
daughters.9 And the United States adopted a ban on transgender people serving
in the military, further limiting a vulnerable group of people’s economic rights and
right to participation.
Redoubling efforts to embed legal equality for all women and girls in 2020
In the era of #MeToo, rising public activism and a global rise in fundamentalisms,
women and girls are demanding that equality be expedited. With political will
and commitment, the revocation of explicitly sex discriminatory laws and the
strengthening of constitutional protections can be achieved by 2030.10 The G7
Gender Equality Advisory Council’s 2019 report calls on governments to guarantee
financing to both eliminate discriminatory laws and implement progressive
legislative frameworks.11
2020 marks both the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the BPfA and the 5th
anniversary of the SDGs to eradicate poverty and promote equality globally.
Governments must urgently turn words into deeds and finally repeal or amend all
laws that discriminate on the basis of sex so that all women and girls can enjoy their
rights and live as equal partners in their families, communities and society.
We hope this report will be a useful tool to governments and campaigners alike in
this crucial process and at a critical time in world history.