MenEngage Alliance CSW70 statement calls for the transformation of legal systems to be inclusive, just, caring, and survivor-centered.

MenEngage Alliance, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, Let’s Breakthrough, Rwanda Men’s Resource Center (RWAMREC), and Sonke Gender Justice submitted the following statement for the 70^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). The statement was co-developed by the Global Advocacy Working Group of MenEngage Alliance. 

You can download this statement from the UN website here.

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We affirm our commitment to advancing gender equality and a more caring world, including through dismantling patriarchal masculinities that perpetuate systemic injustices against women, girls, and LGBTIQ people. We call for urgent actions to eliminate discriminatory laws, address structural barriers, and transform formal and informal legal systems into inclusive, just, caring, and survivor-centered institutions.

One thing remains clear – harmful social norms and gender stereotypes rooted in patriarchal masculinities continue to influence institutions, practices and people within justice systems worldwide, creating barriers to access for millions of marginalized groups at best, and institutionalizing gender- based violence through discriminatory laws at worst. This must urgently change.

Justice cannot be achieved while patriarchal masculinities continue to dictate who has rights and whose voices are silenced.

To ensure justice for all women, girls, and LGBTIQ people, we must dismantle discriminatory laws, transform justice systems, and address the social norms and gender stereotypes that sustain inequalities and social injustices. We urge Member States at CSW70 to act decisively and collectively: dismantle patriarchal barriers, strengthen access to justice, improve social welfare through caring systems, and move toward a future where equality and justice are a lived reality for all marginalized people in all settings. 

We reaffirm our commitment to working in solidarity with feminist, LGBTIQ, youth movements and other marginalized communities. Together, we must build legal systems that are inclusive, equitable, caring and just — systems that recognize the dignity and rights of all people.

Across regions, there has been greater understanding that patriarchal masculinities are one of the key factors condoning discriminatory laws, policies, and practices that govern access, control and operations of the justice systems. 

Gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms around masculinities underpin discriminatory provisions in marriage, inheritance, family law, and reproductive autonomy, restricting women’s, girl’s, youth, indigenous‑, afro-descendant- and LGBTIQ- people’s rights and reinforcing masculine patriarchal control over bodies, resources, and decision-making. Patriarchal masculinities operate not only through gendered power relations but are also reinforced by systems of colonialism, racism, and capitalism that sustain economic inequality. Addressing how these intersecting systems of oppression shape legal institutions, influence whose voices are heard, and determine whose rights are protected or denied, is imperative.

Justice institutions too often reproduce and reinforce these norms: police dismissing gender-based violence cases, courts questioning survivors’ credibility, and lawyers perpetuating stigma. Such uncaring practices erode trust in justice systems, rule of law and trust on the Nation’s capability to uphold the fundamental human rights of its citizens, leaving survivors silenced and perpetrators unaccountable. For women, children and LGBTIQ people, including men, from rural, indigenous, poor, disabled, or minority backgrounds, patriarchal barriers intersect with systemic marginalization and oppression. Economic dependence, fear of retaliation, and social stigma compound the difficulties of seeking justice. The result is a cycle of exclusion, discrimination and violence that denies fundamental human rights.

Patriarchal masculinities are deeply embedded within the national-international legal and justice systems, reinforced by masculine, militaristic and autocratic leadership - resistant to transformative and just reforms.

To strengthen access to justice and rule of law, systemic transformation of legal and justice systems is essential. Reforming discriminatory laws and policies is a critical step toward building just, caring and equitable systems. States must repeal laws that restrict the rights of women, LGBTIQ individuals and marginalized people and replace them with inclusive frameworks grounded in care, equality and human rights principles. 

Equally important is the need to shift legal and institutional culture: judges, lawyers, police, authorities and duty-bearers, and traditional and cultural leaders must be sensitized and equipped with strengthened capacity to recognize and dismantle their own biases thereby encouraging them to be agents of change to ensure access to justice, uphold highest standards of rule of law for historically and systematically marginalized population.

Gender-transformative interventions can move institutions from minimizing gender-based violence and toward survivor-centered, rights-based approaches. Additionally, gender-transformative education systems go a long way in building young people’s capacities to aspire, lead, negotiate and challenge harmful gender norms.

Accountability mechanisms are also vital; monitoring and sanctioning discriminatory behavior within justice institutions reduces impunity and rebuilds public trust. At the same time, inclusivity must be embedded in reform efforts by prioritizing marginalized groups ‑particularly those from rural, minority, and disabled communities — have equitable access to justice. It is also critical to incorporate the principles of restorative justice, as broader social processes rooted in reparation and care.

Such approaches challenge the punitive and patriarchal culture embedded in traditional legal frameworks, fostering justice that heals, restores relationships, and promotes collective and social transformation. By dismantling patriarchal codes and practices, and encouraging care, justice systems can evolve into equitable institutions that protect and uphold the rights of all.

Transforming justice requires the active engagement of men and boys, especially those in positions of authority - as men continue to occupy most positions of power across institutions of justice and rule of law. 

Male policymakers, parliamentarians, judges, lawyers, and law enforcement officials, and religious and traditional leaders – who are often leaders of informal justice systems – can be gatekeepers of reform, but they can also serve as powerful agents of change. They can promote accountability by questioning and dismantling legal frameworks that privilege male dominance, while championing reforms that advance equality, care and justice. Through training and sensitization, justice actors can adopt human rights and transformative approaches and challenge patriarchal attitudes within their institutions.

Men in leadership also have the potential to model alternative expressions of masculinities based on care, non-violence, equity, and inclusion, setting new precedents by showing that manhood is not inherently tied to control, but can embody justice, equity, power-with, care and accountability. Furthermore, collaborative programs where men and boys work as accountable allies and agents of change alongside women, girls and LGBTIQ people can strengthen movements for gender justice and broaden social support for stronger cultures of rule of law.

Crucially, engaging men and boys in these processes is not an alternative to feminist leadership but a complementary strategy to dismantle systemic barriers and strengthen access to justice for all women, LGBTIQ and marginalized individuals through inclusive and just legal systems.

To ensure and strengthen access to justice for women, girls, and LGBTIQ people, we call on Member States, UN agencies, and civil society to:

• Formulate progressive and inclusive laws and policy systems to transform legal systems from instruments of exclusion into vehicles for social transformation and inclusive justice for all.
• Eliminate discriminatory laws and practices that limit the rights of women, LGBTIQ and marginalized groups, and enact inclusive legal systems grounded in equality, care, justice and human rights for all.
• Invest in gender-transformative training for justice system actors, especially men in positions of power – including police, judges, and lawyers – to challenge patriarchal and masculinist attitudes and improve survivor-centered responses and accountability.
• Conduct research and documentation of promising practices that have supported and resulted in strengthened access to justice for women, LGBTIQ individuals and historical and systemically excluded and discriminated groups
• Establish robust accountability mechanisms to ensure access to justice for all marginalized communities – including women and girls, Indigenous peoples, minority groups, youth, persons with disabilities, survivors, and LGBTIQ people. These mechanisms must actively monitor, sanction, and eliminate discriminatory practices within justice and legal systems, while addressing the intersecting structural barriers that prevent marginalized populations from exercising their rights.
• Ensure that justice systems are accessible, transparent, and responsive, and that feminist organizations and movements are empowered to play a central role in monitoring, evaluating, and holding justice institutions accountable.
• Engage men and boys, including in positions of power, as accountable allies and agents of change in dismantling patriarchal masculinities and promoting inclusive, caring and equitable legal systems and enacting needed reforms.
• Support feminist, LGBTIQ and other movements in advancing justice system reform, ensuring their leadership as central to reform processes while fostering solidarity across all genders and identities.
• Strengthen and resource frontline justice services – such as community police stations, legal aid centers, and family courts – to integrate care-based approaches. This includes embedding social workers, counselors, and trained mediators within these services; adopting trauma-informed and survivor- centered procedures; and ensuring that frontline staff have the time, training, and institutional support to treat every case with empathy, dignity, and fairness.