When laws change, lives change: What justice looks like on the ground for women

^{A recent amendment of Thailand’s Penal Code and new “take it down” mechanism promise to improve protection against online harms for women and girls across the country. Photo: UN Women/Ploy Phutpheng A person holds a mobile phone against a dark background, symbolizing how harassment and abuse can occur through digital platforms. The image reflects the growing focus on legal and judicial responses to online harm and the need for stronger protections in virtual spaces. Photo by UN Women/Ploy Phutpheng}

Women's rights mean nothing if we cannot defend them

Around the world, justice systems are under strain — weakened by conflict, backlash on women’s rights, lack of political will or resources. The result – women are turned away, not believed, priced out of legal support, or silenced when they try to speak up.

UN Women works in 109 countries, driving change to systems that keep justice out of reach for millions of women and girls. From Southeast Asia to Latin America and Europe, 2026 is showing what rights, justice, and action can look like in practice.

Thailand: Sexual harassment now a crime, online or offline

On 30 December 2025, Thailand took a significant step forward when a new law formally criminalizing sexual harassment, even when it happens online, came into effect.

“This amendment is significant because it broadens how sexual harassment is understood in law, recognizing that harm can be inflicted not only through physical acts, but also through words, gestures, stalking and communications”, says Santanee Ditsayabut, Public Prosecutor and Director of Justice Strategies at the Nitivajra Institute, Office of the Attorney-General of Thailand.

"In the past, Thailand did not have a specific legal provision defining what sexual harassment is", says Thararat Panya, Attorney-at-law at Feminist Legal Support. "This law matters because it defines sexual harassment and explicitly covers online sexual harassment."

The law also recognizes patterns of behaviour — including repeated conduct that can amount to "chronic sexual harassment" — and acknowledges how abuse has shifted into digital spaces, where harmful content can be copied, reposted, and weaponized.

Digital abuse against women and girls is evolving rapidly. UN Women's Asia-Pacific policy brief warns that responses must combine strong laws, survivor-centred services, and platform accountability. Thailand is moving in that direction: in January 2026, a new fast-track "take it down" mechanism was introduced for digital platforms, allowing survivors to petition courts online to remove harmful content — without needing a police investigation file.

"Survivors now have a clearer legal process to request the removal of harmful online content", explains Saijai Liangpunsakul, Founder of Stop Online Harm. "But it is still too early to assess the full impact. We still need to build awareness and implement this in a truly survivor-centred way."

^{The launch of DIME Mujer in Colombia. Photo: UN Women/Paula Orozco}

Colombia: From legal frameworks to lived rights

Across the Pacific, Colombia tells a parallel story. A landmark legislative study by UN Women analyzed 117 laws across four areas of women’s rights in the Latin America and Caribbean region: political participation, labour rights, land rights, and a life free from violence. The findings confirm real progress for Colombia, but also exposes what remains unfinished.

Formal equality granted by law or the constitution does not always translate into lived equality for women and girls.

Discriminatory provisions, legal gaps, and implementation barriers continue to limit the impact of laws on the daily lives of women and girls. The study calls for reforms: gender parity in political representation, expanded protections against workplace harassment, recognition and value of care work, and removing obstacles to land ownership for women.

Knowing your rights is the first step to claiming them. That is why UN Women funded by the Government of Sweden and partners created DIME Mujer — a digital platform that translates legal language into accessible information on women’s rights and how to access or defend them. Available at dimemujer.com, it reaches women in communities across Colombia, from Bogotá to the Chocó region. It also provides a directory of public institutions and women’s groups that provide legal assistance and other critical support services. 

^{For years, women survivors from Albania struggled to leave abusive relationships or access support because their children were often left out of legal protection. Photo: UN Women/Yllka Parllaku.}

Albania: When domestic violence protection orders leave no child behind

In Albania, a different but equally urgent gap is being closed. For years, women survivors of domestic violence struggled to leave abusive relationships or access support because their children were often left out of legal protection.

Courts issued protection measures for minors in only 10 per cent of monitored domestic violence cases between 2023 and 2025, even when children were living inside violent households.

"When children weren't included in protection orders, families often struggled to access shelters, enforce protection measures, or receive economic support, leaving them vulnerable even after reporting violence", says Nadia Guni, a lawyer at the Center for Legal Civic Initiatives.

Melisa Kuja*, a mother of three , shares her experience. After years of enduring her husband's violence, it was fear for her children that finally moved her to seek help. "I understood that by staying silent, I was harming them and putting them in danger", she says. When she went to court, only the child directly assaulted was initially included in the protection order, not her two other children who had witnessed repeated episodes of violence and were at risk.

With support from the Human Rights in Democracy Center, all three children were eventually included. "For the first time, I felt heard and trusted", Kuja said. "It made me feel truly protected and not alone."

This change was driven by the Monitoring Network Against Gender-Based Violence — a coalition of 22 civil society organizations supported by UN Women under the United Nations Joint Programme "Ending Violence Against Women," funded by the Government of Sweden. Together, they pushed for Albania to implement international recommendations on risk assessment and the inclusion of children as survivors of what experts call "assisted violence" — the harm suffered by children who live in and are exposed to violent environments.

Albania's new 2026 Law on Domestic Violence now requires courts to automatically include children in protection orders when they are exposed to violence, meaning no child can be left behind simply because they were not named in the original complaint.

Today, Kuja is employed and rebuilding her life. "Before, my children were withdrawn and tense", she says. "Today they are calmer and feel safer. They say our home is peaceful now."

*Name changed to protect the identity of the survivor. 

Justice is not delivered by laws alone

In nearly 70 per cent of surveyed countries, women face more barriers accessing justice than men. Laws that exist on paper must be backed by courts that believe women, legal aid they can access and afford, and support systems that help them recover when their rights are violated.

Thailand, Colombia and Albania show what it looks like when governments, civil society, and communities choose to act. Justice doesn't just happen. It is built — and it must be funded, implemented, and defended every day.

Without justice, rights are just words. With justice, rights become power.

This is the work that UN Women does, every day, powering women’s movements, changing laws and policies, and ensuring services on the ground, so that equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls become a reality.