An Anglican leader has highlighted the importance of International Women’s Day with a new statement released on Thursday.

The director for gender justice at the Anglican Alliance, Mandy Marshall, said Christians have a responsibility to stand up for women facing injustice around the world.

“We cannot ignore the barriers women face to justice, even when laws exist,” she said, urging believers to act in their communities.

International Women’s Day, marked on Sunday the 8th March, has been celebrating the progress toward women’s full participation in all areas of life. It is also an important moment where people have highlighted the work still needed to make things better.

This year’s theme, ‘Balancing the Scales,’ focuses on women’s equal access to justice and human rights, reflecting the UN Commission on the Status of Women’s call to eliminate discriminatory laws and structural barriers.

Marshall pointed to global statistics showing the scale of the challenge. UN figures reveal women have just 64% of the legal rights of men worldwide, and in 70% of countries, women face greater obstacles to accessing justice.

Child marriage remains legal in 72% of countries in some or all circumstances, while over half of nations still lack consent-based legal definitions of rape, according to UN data.

Marshall added that Christians are called to care for the suffering and oppressed, asking: “What am I prepared to do to ensure women have full, meaningful equality, especially before the law?”

The Anglican Alliance works across the Communion to end gender-based violence, empower survivors, and challenge harmful social norms.

This development has come as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullaly, became the first female Archbishop officially appointed to lead the Church of England.