On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Women in Diplomacy Committee (WIDC) of the International Federation of Consular Corps and Associations (FICAC) reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the promotion, protection and advancement of the human rights of women and girls worldwide.
International legal instruments including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Istanbul Convention, remain essential frameworks for ensuring equality, dignity, accountability and effective access to justice. Their implementation must be strengthened and safeguarded.
In recent years, increased attention has been given to the protection of children and adolescents in the digital sphere. The application in France of the digital age of consent set at 15 reflects a growing recognition of the need to protect minors, particularly girls, from digital violence, exploitation and abuse. Similar initiatives in other regions demonstrate an emerging international awareness of the profound impact of digital environments on the safety and rights of women and girls.
At the same time, the WIDC underlines a persistent and critical reality identified through its diplomatic and consular engagement: access to justice is not equally accessible. Too often, the women and girls who need justice the most are those least able to reach it, due to structural inequalities, fear, social barriers, institutional fragility, and the absence of effective protection.
Justice that exists only in law, but not in life, is not yet justice.
In the context of ongoing armed conflicts, including in the Middle East, women and girls continue to face heightened vulnerability, including displacement, violence and severe insecurity. International humanitarian law is clear: civilians must be protected at all times. The safety, dignity and rights of women and girls must never become collateral damage of war.
Through its work, the WIDC seeks to reach women and girls who remain outside formal justice systems and to help bridge the gap between legal commitments and lived realities.
On this 8 March 2026, the WIDC reaffirms that the protection of women and girls is an international legal obligation and a fundamental pillar of just, safe societies.
Nathalie Mimoun
Honorary consul of France in Israel
Chair, Women in Diplomacy Committee (WIDC)
International Federation of Consular Corps and Associations
