From Promise to Practice: Access to Justice for Women and the Path to Real Equality

In her national statement to the General Debate at CSW70, Senator Bushra Anjum Butt argues that access to justice is the essential link between rights promised and rights realized. She asserts that laws alone do not guarantee justice unless they are accessible to every woman and girl; when laws exist but are out of reach, justice remains theoretical. She warns that institutions that do not include women render justice partial, and when barriers persist, genuine equality stays only aspirational. The remedy, she contends, is a shift from symbolic commitment to structural transformation—turning rhetoric into reforms that ensure practical access. She highlights three cascading outcomes: when women trust the law, democracy deepens; when institutions serve women equally, societies become more inclusive; and when justice is accessible to all women and girls, equality becomes reality rather than an ideal. Delivered at the United Nations headquarters, the remarks underscore a call for accountability, inclusivity, and sustained reform as the pathway to realizing gender equality.