GLOBAL — Laws promising equality for women and girls exist in many countries around the world, yet millions still struggle to access justice when their rights are violated.

That stark reality is highlighted in a United Nations report titled “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls,” released ahead of International Women’s Day and the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which begins March 9 in New York.

The report points to what experts call an “implementation gap” — the disconnect between laws that guarantee equality and the real-world ability of women and girls to enforce those rights.

While legal frameworks promoting gender equality have expanded globally, the report warns that many women continue to face significant barriers when seeking justice.

Among the most common obstacles are high legal costs, long distances to courts and services, language barriers, and low levels of legal literacy. Many women also face what researchers describe as “time poverty,” balancing work and caregiving responsibilities that make pursuing legal action difficult.

Bias and stigma within justice systems themselves can also discourage women from reporting abuse or seeking legal remedies.

The report notes that girls often face distinct and overlooked barriers. In many cases, justice systems lack child-centred procedures, making it difficult for girls to safely report harm or access legal protection. Issues such as child marriage and early pregnancy can further complicate their ability to assert their rights, particularly when they remain legally dependent on family members who may also be the source of harm.

Older women also face unique challenges, often shaped by lifelong patterns of discrimination and economic disadvantage. Gendered ageism can undermine their credibility, with complaints involving violence, neglect, health rights, pensions or property disputes sometimes dismissed or ignored.

The United Nations report also highlights structural weaknesses within justice systems, including limited budgets, shortages of trained personnel and poor coordination between institutions responsible for delivering justice services.

Another factor contributing to the enforcement gap is the continued male dominance within justice sector leadership, which researchers say can discourage women from engaging with institutions meant to protect them.

The findings come as the United Nations marks International Women’s Day under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” a call for governments to move beyond commitments on paper and ensure that laws protecting women are fully enforced.

Global leaders say closing the gap between legislation and real-world outcomes remains one of the most urgent challenges in achieving gender equality and ensuring that women and girls everywhere can live safe, healthy and purposeful lives.

Developed by Deandrea Hamilton • with ChatGPT (AI) • edited by Magnetic Media.

Santiago/Washington, D.C./Geneva, 4 March 2026 (PAHO/WHO) – The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), congratulates Chile for becoming the first country in the Americas—and the second globally—to be officially verified as having eliminated leprosy disease.

Leprosy (Hansen disease) was historically recorded in Chile at the end of the 19th century on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The disease was limited in mainland Chile, with sporadic introductions, contained through isolation and treatment measures in the Island, where the last secondary cases were managed by the late 1990s.

Since then, Chile has not reported any locally acquired case of leprosy for more than 30 years, with the last locally acquired case detected in 1993. However, the disease was never removed from the country’s public health agenda; it has remained a notifiable condition, monitored through mandatory reporting, integrated surveillance, and continuous clinical readiness across the health system.

“This landmark public health achievement is a powerful testament to what leadership, science, and solidarity can accomplish,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Chile’s elimination of leprosy sends a clear message to the world: with sustained commitment, inclusive health services, integrated public health strategies, early detection and universal access to care, we can consign ancient diseases to history.”

The verification recognizes more than three decades of sustained public health action, robust surveillance, long-term political commitment, and a health system that has remained vigilant even in the absence of local transmission.

“Chile’s achievement demonstrates that eliminating leprosy is achievable and requires building strong systems that can detect, respond to, and provide comprehensive care for people affected by the disease, including those living with chronic disabilities,” said PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa. “Being the first country in the Americas to be confirmed as eliminating leprosy sends a powerful message to the Region—that diseases strongly linked to groups living in vulnerable conditions can be eliminated, contributing to interrupt the vicious circle between disease and poverty.”

At the request of Chile’s Ministry of Health, PAHO and WHO convened an independent expert panel in 2025 to assess whether elimination had been achieved and could be sustained over time. The panel conducted a thorough assessment, reviewing epidemiological data, surveillance mechanisms, case management protocols, and sustainability plans. Its findings confirmed the absence of local transmission and validated Chile’s capacity to detect and respond to future cases occurring among the non-autochthonous population.

“This is very good news and a source of great pride for our country. Chile has received verification of the elimination of leprosy disease, becoming the first country in the Americas and the second globally to achieve this recognition,” said Ximena Aguilera, Chile’s Minister of Health. “This milestone reflects decades of sustained public health efforts, including prevention strategies, early diagnosis, effective treatment, continuous follow-up, and the commitment of health teams across the country. It also reaffirms our responsibility to maintain active surveillance and ensure respectful, stigma-free care for all.”

Sustained training, surveillance and holistic care in a low-incidence setting

Between 2012 and 2023, Chile reported 47 cases nationwide, none of which were locally acquired.

Chile’s integrated model ensures early detection and comprehensive care: primary care centers serve as the entry point for suspected cases, with timely referrals to specialized dermatology services for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Clinicians receive training aligned with WHO’s Towards zero leprosy strategy. The system prioritizes early intervention, disability prevention, and holistic care, including physiotherapy and rehabilitation services, ensuring that anyone affected by leprosy receives continuous support for both acute and long-term health needs to promote full recovery and social inclusion.

A milestone for the Region of the Americas

Chile’s accomplishment paves the way for other nations, illustrating the impact of political will, cross-sector collaboration, and adaptive planning in low-incidence settings.

Since 1995, PAHO, in coordination with WHO, has provided multidrug therapy (MDT) free of charge to countries in the Americas, including Chile. This uninterrupted access to treatment, combined with national supply systems, has been essential to curing patients, preventing disability, and interrupting transmission.

PAHO has also supported Chile in aligning surveillance with international standards, strengthening laboratory capacity, and maintaining clinical expertise in a low-incidence context, where many health professionals may never encounter a case during their careers.

Ensuring access and coverage for everyone

Chile’s elimination of leprosy has been achieved within a broader legal and social framework that protects human rights, promotes inclusion, and prevents discrimination. National legislation guarantees equal access to health care, social protection, and disability services, ensuring that people affected by leprosy receive care without stigma or exclusion.
Chile’s mixed public–private health system, with strong regulatory oversight, further strengthens equitable access, including for migrants and other vulnerable populations.

Sustaining elimination

Aligned with WHO’s Towards zero leprosy strategy and PAHO’s Disease Elimination Initiative, Chile’s experience demonstrates that elimination is not defined solely by the absence of disease, but by a sustained health system capable of detecting, responding to, and providing holistic care whenever a case appears.

Moving into the post-elimination phase, Chile is encouraged to continue reporting to WHO, maintain sensitive surveillance, and ensure that clinical expertise is retained for future sporadic cases as well as any cases acquired outside the country. The verification panel also recommended formally designating a referral centre and leveraging WHO Academy’s online training for health workers and staff, strengthening long-term capacity and preparedness.

A new report by PAHO and UNICEF warns of the impact of violence from an early age and calls for strengthening prevention, protection and response from health, education and social protection systems to break the cycle of violence and ensure safe environments.

PANAMA CITY / WASHINGTON, D.C., 26 January 2026 – In Latin America and the Caribbean, violence continues to be a serious threat to the lives, health and well-being of millions of children, adolescents and young people, warn the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF in a new joint publication, Violence against children and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean: New data and solutions.

The most serious consequence of violence is the death of thousands of children, adolescents and young people. Between 2015 and 2022, 53,318 children and adolescents were victims of homicide in the region.

The most recent available data, focusing on adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, show contrasting trends by sex. Between 2021 and 2022, the homicide rate among adolescent boys decreased from 17.63 to 10.68 deaths per 100,000 in Latin America and the Caribbean, although it remains high. During the same period, the rate among female adolescents doubled, from 2.13 to 5.1 deaths per 100,000.

Homicides occur in a context of rising armed violence in some areas of the region, associated with organized crime, easy access to firearms, social inequalities and harmful gender norms, which increasingly expose adolescents to situations of lethal violence.

Different forms of violence are interconnected and, in many cases, intensify over time. The report highlights how violence is present from a very early age. In the region, 6 out of 10 children and adolescents under 14 years of age are subject to some type of violent discipline at home, while one in four adolescents aged 13 to 17 experiences bullying at school. Nearly one in five women in Latin America and the Caribbean report having experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. Increasingly, violence manifests itself in digital environments, although available data remains limited.

“Every day, millions of children in Latin America and the Caribbean are exposed to violence – at home, at school and in communities with a gang presence. Multiple places and situations in the region present real risks and dangers for children,” said Roberto Benes, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “We know how to end the violence. In Latin America and the Caribbean, strong and sustained public policies are required to prevent and respond to violence in all its forms so that every child can grow up in a safe environment.”

“Violence has a profound and lasting impact on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents and violates their right to grow up in safe environments, at home, school and in the community,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. “Health services play a key role in prevention and response: when health workers identify people and groups at risk early and provide timely, quality support, they can make a real difference for survivors, their families and communities.”

In addition to describing the scale of the problem, the report highlights evidence-based solutions that can prevent violence and mitigate its costs.

To advance this agenda and end violence in all its forms, PAHO and UNICEF urge governments in the region to strengthen and enforce child protection laws, ensure effective control of firearms, train police officers, teachers, and health and social workers, support parents and caregivers in respectful parenting practices, invest in safe learning environments, and scale up responsive services to ensure that all children and adolescents grow up protected, have access to justice, and live healthy, violence-free lives.

The report was validated during a regional ministerial consultation held on 23-24 October 2025, which brought together more than 300 participants from across the region, including ministers and senior officials from the health, education, justice and child protection sectors, as well as civil society representatives, youth leaders and international partners, with the aim of agreeing on concrete actions to build safer environments for children and adolescents.