New York, 5 March 2026 (dpa/MIA) - No country in the world has achieved full legal equality between women and men, a United Nations official said on Wednesday ahead of International Women's Day.

UN Women's Policy Division director Sarah Hendriks told reporters in New York that progress made in areas such as protection from violence, equality in family law and safeguards against discrimination is also coming under threat in many places.

More than half of countries worldwide do not define rape on the basis of consent, she said. In 74% of countries, child marriage remains legal, while 44% of countries have no law requiring equal pay for work of equal value.

Over the past two years alone, the share of women and girls among victims of conflict-related sexual violence has risen to 87%, Hendriks said.

"Far too often impunity prevails," she said, adding that many women and girls fear the consequences of reporting such crimes.

Photo: EPA