We want a transformative policy agenda supporting women and girls worldwide

From the moment we were appointed to our roles in the shadow development team, we have been clear that gender equality would be a priority for Labour, as part of our deep commitment to human rights and tackling inequalities wherever we find them. 

Even before the pandemic, women spent three times more on unpaid care work as men. For girls between the ages of 15 and 19, nearly a quarter were not employed or in education, while one in 20 – around 13 million – have been victims of forced sex.

Worldwide, Covid-19 and measures to fight it have highlighted and exacerbated inequalities. Women’s jobs are being lost at a much faster rate than men’s; an additional 47 million women worldwide are expected to fall into extreme poverty this year; and an additional 20 million girls, on top of the 131 million out of school before the crisis, may never return to the classroom.

Meanwhile, we have seen a surge in gender-based violence at exactly the same time that the services survivors rely on have been cut or forced to close. 

Throughout the pandemic, we have argued for gender analysis to play a central role in the UK’s international response to Covid-19, to make sure we take into account the disproportionate impact that it is having on women and girls.

In the last year, the Tories have shut down DfID – the department renowned for its work on gender equality around the world – and slashed the aid budget. Programmes such as one in Rwanda aimed at reducing teen pregnancy and sexual violence and supporting 200,000 young people to complete secondary school have been scrapped. With the shocking announcement that the government would be cutting aid to war-ravaged Yemen by 60%, more savage cuts are inevitably on their way.

Yet against all the odds, women’s rights activists around the world are standing up to be counted. This International Women’s Day, Labour stands in solidarity with all those fighting for a more equal world.

We want to engage with members, like-minded countries, think tanks, civil society, communities and activists to build a transformative international development policy that takes us forward towards a more gender equal world.

As we formulate our approach, we want to work with partners to explore the different factors such as sexuality, race, class and religion that shape people’s experiences. We believe that to achieve real, sustainable change, we must challenge and overcome the symptoms of gender inequality, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, alongside the root causes.

We are launching this consultation as the first of many steps to develop these relationships and exchange ideas so we can build a transformative policy agenda that supports women and girls worldwide. Please do submit your views and share this with anyone you think would be interested. You can do that here. Together we can create real change.