Gloria Steinem: A voice for women, to the very end
By Ana Carmo 3 September 2026
Human RightsGloria Steinem, the journalist and women's rights campaigner who became one of the most influential voices of the feminist movement, has died at the age of 92. In an announcement on Instagram, her family said she had passed away on Wednesday at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.
Following news of her death, UN News revisits a powerful moment from Ms. Steinem's appearance at UN Headquarters in New York in 2016, when she took her message about violence against women to the global stage.In her landmark speech ten years ago, the pioneering activist warned that violence against women is inseparable from questions of peace, security and democracy.“The single most important element or determinant of whether a country is violent within itself or whether it will be willing to use military violence against another country is not poverty, not access to natural resources, not religion or even degree of democracy. It’s violence towards females.”‘This is a world issue’Ms. Steinem pointed to the many forms violence against women can take, from sexual violence in war – to trafficking, female genital mutilation (FGM) and violence in the home. She also spoke about the consequences of cultures where sons are prioritised over daughters, and the resulting long-term impact on societies. “This is not a women’s issue…Hello. This is not a children’s issue. This is a world’s issue.”Violence against women remains a pervasive global public health and human rights concern. According to the latest data from the gender equality agency UN Women, an estimated 840 million women – almost one in three – have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life.
