International Women’s Day 2026: Girls Still Face Forced Marriage, FGM and Dishonour Abuse
By Aneeta Prem MBE
London, 6 March 2026
International Women’s Day 2026 should not be a simple celebration. For millions of girls, it is a reminder that basic rights still depend on power, place and whether adults choose to act.
Around the world, girls still lose access to school. Many face child marriage. Many suffer female genital mutilation. Others live under pressure in the name of family reputation or so-called honour. These are not rare cases. They are ongoing human rights failures.
That is why this day matters. It gives us a chance to look at the facts and ask a hard question. Who is protecting girls in practice, not just in theory?
The reality facing girls in 2026
Public debate often talks about progress. Some progress has happened. But progress is not the same as safety.
Many girls still face risks that shape the rest of their lives. Some never get a proper education. Some are pushed into marriage while still children. Some live with the threat of FGM. Others face coercion, fear and control at home.
A world that still allows this cannot claim victory on equality.
Millions of girls are still out of school
Education is one of the strongest protections a girl can have. It helps health, confidence and independence. It also brings girls into daily contact with teachers and other adults who may notice risk early.
Yet millions of girls are still out of school. UNESCO says about 133 million girls worldwide are not in education. When girls lose schooling, the risk of poverty, isolation, exploitation and early marriage rises.
A girl outside school is often easier to control. She may also find it harder to ask for help.
Afghanistan shows how fast rights can be lost
Afghanistan gives the world a clear warning.
UNESCO says 1.4 million Afghan girls are still banned from school by the de facto authorities. Afghanistan is now the only country in the world where girls and women cannot freely continue secondary and higher education.
That matters far beyond one country. It shows how quickly power can strip away a girl’s future.
Child marriage still harms millions of girls
Child marriage remains one of the clearest signs that girls still do not live as equals.
UNICEF says around 650 million women alive today were married before the age of 18. It also says about 12 million girls are married each year while still children.
This is not an old problem. It is a current one.
Child marriage can end a girl’s education, limit her choices and increase the risk of early pregnancy and long-term dependence. Adults often dress it up as duty, protection or tradition. In truth, it removes freedom from the child.
FGM is still a serious abuse of girls’ rights
Female genital mutilation still affects girls and women on a vast scale.
UNICEF and the World Health Organization say more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM. WHO makes clear that FGM has no health benefit and can cause lifelong physical and psychological harm.
FGM is not a minor cultural issue. It is a serious form of abuse.
It can cause infection, trauma, childbirth problems, chronic pain and long-term health damage. It also reflects a wider inequality in which others claim control over girls’ bodies.
Why the term dishonour abuse matters
Language shapes how people respond.
For years, many professionals and public bodies used the phrase “honour-based abuse”. But there is nothing honourable about coercion, forced marriage, FGM, threats or violence.
That is why the term dishonour abuse matters. It keeps the focus on the harm. It strips away language that can soften the crime. It also helps professionals see the abuse clearly and act faster.
This day must lead to protection, not performance
There is no shortage of statements, campaigns or awareness days. The harder question is whether any of that leads to action.
Facts alone do not protect children. Reports do not protect children. Good intentions do not protect children either. Adults must act early, follow clear safeguarding steps, and take warning signs seriously.
Teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers, youth workers and safeguarding leads all have a role. Communities do too. Real protection starts when people stop staying silent and start acting before the harm becomes lifelong.
Freedom Charity’s role
Freedom Charity was founded in 2009 to help prevent forced marriage, FGM and other forms of dishonour abuse.
The charity works through practical safeguarding, education and early intervention. Its books, But It’s Not Fair and Cut Flowers, help young people recognise risk, understand their rights and know where to get help. Freedom Charity has also developed a safeguarding app and runs a 24-hour helpline for those at risk.
Boys and communities matter too
We will not prevent abuse by waiting until the damage is done.
Boys and young men must be part of the solution. They need to learn respect, empathy and the courage to challenge abuse. Communities also need to reject silence and stop treating control over girls as normal.
Protection grows stronger when more people take responsibility.
International Women’s Day 2026 should test the world
The meaning of International Women’s Day 2026 comes down to one simple question: are girls safer?
If millions of girls are still out of school, forced into marriage, subjected to FGM, or controlled through fear and pressure, then the work is not finished. If institutions know these risks and still fail to act early, the problem is no longer awareness. The problem is action.
Girls do not need symbolic concern while harm continues.
They need education that stays in place.
They need laws that people enforce.
They need adults who act early.
They need systems that protect them in real life.
That is what International Women’s Day 2026 should mean.
Use these source links in WordPress
UN Women International Women’s Day
https://www.unwomen.org/en/get-involved/international-womens-day
UN Women IWD 2026 and CSW70
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/media-advisory/2026/02/iwd2026-and-csw70
UN Women on legal equality
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2026/03/no-country-in-the-world-has-reached-full-legal-equality-for-women-and-girls
UNESCO gender equality and education
https://www.unesco.org/en/gender-equality/education
UNESCO on Afghanistan
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/afghanistan-14-million-girls-still-banned-school-de-facto-authorities
UNICEF child marriage
https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/
UNICEF FGM
https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation/
WHO FGM fact sheet
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation