Gender-based violence (GBV) is strongly rooted in inequality and discrimination against women in social, political, civil, and economic life. While changes to social norms and practices to uphold women’s equality are needed, legal equality is essential to addressing GBV.
In one out of four countries globally, discriminatory nationality laws require reform to uphold women’s equality and effectively combat GBV.
Gender discrimination in nationality laws results in wide-ranging human rights violations, is a primary root cause of statelessness, and contributes to multiple forms of gender-based violence, as described in this brief guide.