Sometimes it’s a sister-in-law who tells a woman to obey her husband. Or an executive who pays a new female staff member a lower salary. A man who thinks he has the right to grope a woman. UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 challenges the world to achieve gender equality by 2030. Can the Every Woman Treaty propel the world toward this goal? In short, absolutely! Like few other mechanisms can. Here, we break down how the core elements of the Every Woman Treaty address SDG #5’s specific targets.

A treaty mandating that governments enact comprehensive nation reform that includes specific laws, training and national violence prevention education campaigns will provide a foundation which will jumpstart the essential work of shifting societal views on women.

The Every Woman Treaty will mandate all State Parties to employ evidence-based interventions proven to radically reduce rates of violence. Further, the Every Woman Treaty focuses nations on rooting out core contributors of violence, including laws, practices, social norms and impunity. It will also provide a comprehensive global definition of violence against women and girls that includes all forms of violence across all ages and in all situations, and will no longer allow nations to excuse violence as personal or cultural.


Economic violence is a key aspect the Every Woman Treaty addresses and the treaty will push nations further toward ending discriminatory laws that perpetuate violence, including those that prevent women from accessing economic resources.

