International Women’s Day 2026

Ref: PRS 2026/03/1014

March 8, 2026

International Women’s Day 2026

On 8 March, the world marks International Women’s Day — a moment to reflect on global progress toward gender equality, to acknowledge the long road that remains, and to honour the courage of women who continue to defend their rights despite adversity. This year, the United Nations reminds us that women worldwide still face a persistent gender pay gap, that one in three women experiences gender‑based violence, and that women hold less than a quarter of parliamentary seats globally. In Libya, these challenges are compounded by armed conflict, political fragmentation, and institutional collapse, making women and girls among the most affected groups.

In recent years, Libya has witnessed the continuation of grave violations against women amid deep political division, the expansion of armed groups, the erosion of state institutions, and the absence of political will to protect women and girls. During her visit to Libya in December 2022, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls reported that Libyan authorities failed to cooperate, obstructed her access to detention facilities, and did not facilitate official meetings, a clear indication that preventing violence against women is not treated as a national priority. The UN Fact‑Finding Mission similarly documented a pervasive climate of impunity, where violations are committed systematically by both State and non‑State actors without accountability.

Women and girls have been direct victims of armed violence and indiscriminate attacks in Tripoli, Murzuq, Derna, and other cities. Heavy weapons and drone strikes have killed and injured women and children, and destroyed health and education facilities, including maternal health centres. The Fact‑Finding Mission documented at least 43 deaths, including women and children, in drone strikes on Murzuq in August 2019, concluding that there are reasonable grounds to believe these attacks amount to war crimes.

Enforced disappearances have also continued to target women across the country. The disappearance of Member of Parliament Sihem Sergiwa in July 2019, in an area under the control of forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, unresolved, with no progress in investigations despite local and international demands. Tarhuna witnessed some of the most horrific crimes, where the remains of women and girls were found in mass graves left by the al‑Kaniyat militia, as part of a systematic campaign against real or perceived opponents. Women have also been abducted in Derna, Benghazi, and Tripoli, with many still missing.

Violence has extended beyond disappearances and killings to include political assassinations. The daylight murder of lawyer and activist Hanan al‑Bara’si in Benghazi shocked Libyan society after she faced threats and smear campaigns for exposing corruption, sexual extortion, and abuses against women. UN reports confirm that political violence against women in Libya takes many forms; threats, defamation, incitement, and physical attacks, all aimed at silencing women and excluding them from public life.

Women in official and unofficial detention facilities face widespread violations, including arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and confinement in secret locations without judicial oversight. The Special Rapporteur confirmed that rape and sexual violence occur in some detention centres, and that the absence of female guards and unrestricted access of male guards heighten the risk of abuse. The Fact‑Finding Mission documented crimes against humanity in facilities controlled by the Special Deterrence Force (SDF), the Tariq Bin Ziyad Brigade, the Internal Security Agency, and the Stability Support Apparatus, where detainees, including women, are subjected to torture, enforced disappearance, and sexual violence.

In daily life, women face multiple forms of gender‑based violence, from verbal and physical harassment in streets, universities, and public institutions, to sexual extortion linked to power and weapons, as in the case of the head of the “Martyrs’ Families Committee” in Benghazi who exploited his position to sexually coerce women. Data on such violations remain scarce due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and the absence of reporting and protection mechanisms.

Domestic violence has also increased in recent years, particularly during periods of crisis. A UN Women study found that 46% of Libyan women feared rising domestic violence during the pandemic lockdowns. Libya still lacks a comprehensive law on violence against women, protection orders, or shelters, leaving women and girls without effective safeguards.

Migrant and refugee women remain among the most vulnerable groups, facing arbitrary detention, sexual violence, and exploitation in facilities that fail to meet minimum humanitarian standards. UN reports have documented rape and sexual assault in centres run by the Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration, with no investigations or accountability.

Legal discrimination persists, especially regarding the right of Libyan women to pass nationality to their children. Despite legal provisions allowing this, the implementing regulations impose restrictive conditions, including a ban on granting nationality to children of Libyan women married to Palestinian men, depriving thousands of children of basic rights.

Women’s political participation has sharply declined, whether in elections or public office, amid a hostile environment marked by political violence, hate speech, and the absence of political will to empower women. UN reports show that women active in public life face smear campaigns and direct threats, pushing many to withdraw from political engagement.

Economic hardship has further deepened women’s suffering. Women face difficulties accessing essential services, endure verbal and physical violence while waiting in long queues at banks, and bear the burden of supporting families amid rising prices, salary delays, and collapsing public services.

Considering these violations, Human Rights Solidarity calls for urgent and concrete measures to protect women and girls in Libya. The organization recommends:

To the Libyan authorities:

• Reveal the fate of disappeared women, foremost among them MP Sihem Sergiwa.
• Investigate killings, assassinations, sexual violence, and torture, and hold perpetrators accountable.
• Close illegal detention facilities and ensure judicial oversight over all places of detention.
• Adopt a comprehensive law on violence against women and establish protection orders and shelters.
• Lift restrictions on civil society and guarantee the freedom of women’s organizations to operate.
• Implement the nationality law to ensure the rights of children of Libyan mothers married to non‑Libyans.

To the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL):

• Support accountability mechanisms and ensure access for UN Special Procedures to all regions.
• Assist in developing a national gender‑equality and protection plan.
• Strengthen monitoring and documentation of violations, especially in detention facilities.

To the international community:

• Support efforts to end impunity for grave violations.
• Provide technical and financial support for protection programmes, especially for survivors of violence.
• Ensure protection for migrant and refugee women and prevent their return to places of danger.

As Human Rights Solidarity reflects on the suffering of women and girls in Libya, it reaffirms its commitment to uncovering the truth, defending women’s rights, and confronting impunity. The organization calls on all parties to assume their responsibilities to ensure a safe and just future for women in Libya.

Human Rights Solidarity Organisation

Tripoli – Libya

March 8, 2026

Endnotes

1. United Nations: “International Women’s Day”, 8 March.
2. Human Rights Solidarity: “The situation of Libyan women between 2011-2018”, March 8, 2019.
3. Human Rights Solidarity: “For the first time, in Two Decades, we have documented the enforced disappearance of women in Libya”, August 30, 2019.
4. Libya Al‑Ahrar TV: “Unprecedented, families of victims of the mass graves in Tarhuna identified their loved ones from their belongings and clothing”, January 11, 2021.
5. UNSMIL: “UNSMIL Statement on the Continued Enforced Disappearance of House of Representative Member Siham Sergiwa”, October 17, 2019.
6. BBC Arabic: “Hanan Al-Bara’si: Widespread anger after the assassination of the Libyan activist and lawyer in Benghazi”, November 11, 2020.
7. CNN Arabic: “A day after criticizing Khalifa Haftar’s son, the murder of Libyan lawyer Hanan al-Bara’si sparks outrage”, November 13, 2020.
8. Human Rights Solidarity: “International Women’s Day 2020”, March 8, 2020.
9. Human Rights Solidarity: “Report on Armed Conflict Casualties”, 14 January 2021.
10. Ministry of Planning, Statistics and Census Authority: “Libyan National Family Health Survey – 2014, Official Report”. Regarding domestic violence against women, the study stated that approximately 79% of women had experienced verbal abuse, and 50% of women said their husbands were the primary source of this abuse.
11. Al-Araby Al-Jadeed website: “Sexual harassment is on the rise in Libya“, Osama Ali, March 20, 2019.
12. UN Women: “Press release: Already impoverished and impacted by insecurity and discrimination, Libyan women are likely to be hit hardest if COVID-19 takes hold in the war-torn country”, 14 April 2020.
13. UN Women: “Gender-Sensitive Prevention, Response and Management Of Covid-19 Outbreak in Libya”, April 2020.
14. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls:” Visit to Libya – Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem”, May 4, 2023.
15. Human Rights Council: “Report of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya”, June 27, 2022.
16. Human Rights Council: “Report of the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya”, October 1, 2021.
17. Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Business as Usual: Human Rights Violations and Abuses against Migrants, Asylum-Seekers, and Refugees in Libya”, February 17, 2026.
18. DCAF: “Law No. (24) of 2010 on provisions of Libyan nationality”.

Legal Agenda – Tunisia: “The son of a Libyan woman married to a foreigner: a lost identity and lost rights