New York: The Holy See has renewed its call for urgent action to protect the dignity and equality of women and girls, highlighting persistent challenges that continue to undermine progress toward gender justice. Speaking at a United Nations high-level meeting in New York commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, stressed that violence in all its forms must be confronted without compromise.
Reflecting on the milestone conference held three decades ago, Archbishop Gallagher reminded the assembly of the hopes and commitments of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. While acknowledging significant progress, he emphasized that many of the original goals remain unmet.
“Thirty years ago, the international community gathered in Beijing to focus on urgent questions regarding the dignity of women and the full enjoyment of her fundamental rights. Since then, although progress has been made, persistent issues remain unaddressed,” he noted.
Among the most pressing challenges, the Archbishop cited widespread poverty, unequal access to education, and economic disparity.
“An extreme degree of poverty among women, obstacles to accessing or even exclusion from quality education, and persistent wage gaps impede the full achievement of women’s equal dignity and their ability to fulfil their potential in all areas of life,” he observed.
Archbishop Gallagher’s strongest remarks focused on violence against women and girls.
“Wherever it occurs at home, during trafficking, or in conflict and humanitarian settings it constitutes an affront to their dignity and a grave injustice,” he declared. He warned that modern technology is now being exploited to fuel new forms of abuse, adding that exploitation is only part of a larger problem.
He drew attention to practices such as prenatal sex selection and female infanticide, condemned in the Beijing Declaration but still claiming the lives of millions each year. “These acts continue to create generations of ‘missing girls,’” he lamented. The Holy See, he insisted, firmly condemns violence in all its forms, reiterating that it can never be justified.
Turning to health, the Vatican representative expressed concern that while maternal mortality rates have declined since 1990, progress has stagnated in recent years. He called for greater access to prenatal care, skilled birth attendants, and stronger healthcare systems.
At the same time, he rejected abortion as a “false solution,” stressing that the right to life forms the foundation of all other rights.
The Archbishop underlined that authentic equality cannot be achieved without respect for the dignity of every human person from the unborn to the elderly, especially the most vulnerable.
“Equality for women cannot be separated from the defense of life and the recognition of the inherent worth of every person,” he said.
As governments revisit their obligations under the Beijing Declaration, Archbishop Gallagher urged them to remain faithful to the original goals: combating poverty, promoting education, ensuring fair access to employment and resources, and eradicating violence.
“Instead of focusing on divisive issues that are not necessarily beneficial to women,” he affirmed, “the states must ensure that women’s God-given dignity is respected and fulfilled.”