Imagine a Pakistan where all women could log on to the internet without fear of abuse, go to a police station and be heard without being judged, and do the same work for the same pay without being harassed. That picture is not a dream but the basis of human rights and justice in any society. It is certainly not too good to be true. This year’s United Nations theme for International Women's Day 2026 is “Action and Justice.” “For ALL Women and Girls” demands that these issues be addressed as obligations, not aspirations.

While countless examples celebrate women who are empowered and successful, this piece is about the ordinary woman who survives every day under the weight of stigma, and whose struggles define the true state of justice in Pakistan. It is ironic that we are still arguing about women’s basic human rights — their right to safety, education, economic participation, inheritance, equality, and dignity — at a time when people are developing artificial intelligence, planning life on Mars, and experimenting with technologies that attempt to communicate with the dead. This is a clear paradox. While technology advances rapidly, social change remains painfully slow. The problems women face today should have been resolved long ago. How can living on Mars amaze us when half the population on Earth is not treated equally? How can AI transform lives when stigma continues to silence women? Can science and technology truly transform institutions and cultures that reinforce these stigmas?

According to the Social Sustainable Development Organisation’s report, from January to........

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