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From campaigns to liberalise abortion laws
in Ireland, Argentina and Poland, to the #MeToomovement and
the controversy over the confirmation of Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in
the United States, women's rights issues made headlines around the world
in 2018.

But, despite the increasing visibility, gender equality remains elusive for the
majority of the world's women.

As Amnesty International releases on Monday its annual review to coincide

with the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on
Monday, Al Jazeera speaks to the rights group's recently appointed
Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo about a year defined by women's rights
activism and what still needs to be done.

Al Jazeera: Why did Amnesty choose to make women's rights the

focus of the report this year?

Kumi Naidoo: What we've seen over the last year has been a concerted
effort to attack women's rights in many places.

Many so-called "tough guy" leaders are pushing a sexist, racist and
homophobic political agenda.

In Brazil, [President-elect] Jair Bolsonaro has publicly taunted women

about rape and laughed in the face of those pushing for equal pay. We've
also seen in places like Poland and Guatemala legislators advocating much
stricter abortion laws.
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The second reason is that women-led movements have really dominated
the public space in the year that has passed. In Latin America, the "Ni Una
Menos" movement galvanised people taking action and fighting
back against bigotry.
In India, Spain and South Africa, female activists have organised mass
rallies in protest of unjust state laws and sexual abuse, as well as violence
against women.

In Saudi Arabia, female activists have protested against the driving ban,
and in Iran, women have come out against the wearing of the veil.

Women are showing the kind of

resilience that we need moving
forward to address human rights in a
world which is moving in the wrong
direction.
KUMI NAIDOO, AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY-
GENERAL
The third reason is that at a time when there is a sense of doom and gloom,
because the climate scientists have told us we've got 12 years to turn things
around and we're fast running out of time, there's deep inequality and
fascism is rising - what women have showed is a very high level of resilience
to injustice and the ability constantly to fight.

Women are showing the kind of resilience that we need moving forward to
address human rights in a world which is moving in the wrong direction.

Al Jazeera: Why do women's rights continue to come under

threat despite protection from the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights as well as, in many cases, national legislation?
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Naidoo: Firstly, there's a very high lack of compliance with commitments
that governments make at various United Nations summits. Governments
say things that they know people want to hear, that will make them look
good, and hope that by signing such commitments they give an indication
that they're going to address human rights generally and women's rights
specifically.

In reality, there has not been the kind of political will to move the women's
rights agenda forward. Part of the reason for that is that there is such low
levels of female representation in political life as well as in the business
community.

It's the 70th anniversary of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, but sadly,
today, if we tried to get the governments of the nations of the General
Assembly to agree to the declaration, they wouldn't be able to.

Eleanor Roosevelt, the first US ambassador to the UN, played a big role in
drafting the declaration but today [President Donald] Trump would be one
of the biggest opposers of that deal.

Al Jazeera: What has been the most pressing women's rights

issue this year?

Naidoo: There have been several, but I would say the challenge
that refugee women have been experiencing in Europe and the United
States. I think one of the most devastating violations of human rights we've
seen is the separation of families at the border between the US
and Mexico when people have been seeking refuge.

In general, the way countries have been responding to the refugee crisis has
been lacking in morality and human compassion.
Thousands of children were separated from their parents at the US-Mexico border after the
Trump administration cancelled its family separation policy [Joshua Roberts/Reuters]

Al Jazeera: Where have you seen the most striking developments

both positive and negative?

Naidoo: One of the most inspiring developments was Ireland holding the
[abortion] referendum. Many people always used to say that because of
religion and other political factors, the people of Ireland won't vote for the
rights of women to choose and take control of their reproductive rights. So
it was a very inspiring victory to see them defy conventional wisdom and, in
a significant majority, vote for respecting women's right to choose.

On the negative side, what stands out is that in virtually every struggle that
is non-gender or non-women focused, whether you take climate or poverty
or [other forms of] inequality, what we have noted is the number of women
not yet having actual parity with the men involved in these movements.

However, we have seen women asserting their leadership and increasing

their participation and we at Amnesty sincerely want to support this - and
that is part of the reason we're highlighting amazing women and social
justice movements.