Reflections on International Women's Day 2026: Privacy, Policy, and the Price of Womanhood in the Americas

Beautiful street art on the streets of the Getsemani neighborhood in Cartagena.

By: Ambur C. Smith, Esq. 

I spent the last week of Black History Month and the first days of Women's History Month working remotely and island hopping off the coast of Cartagena; a city in Colombia, South America known for celebrating both year round. As an international lawyer, I'm prepared to serve clients wherever there's Wi-Fi and the time zone aligns. Cartagena, with its EST-friendly connectivity and breathtaking island escapes, was the perfect cure for my winter blues. I closed deals from beach clubs and found motivation in the city’s vibrant street art; a public museum celebrating Black women and culture with a visibility that is as stunning as it is rare. Yet, beneath the aesthetic brilliance of the "Heroic City" lies a heavy, visible tension.

The Visibility of the Trade

In Cartagena, the "passport bros" epidemic is alive and well; so much so, it is facilitated in plain sight. While the world celebrates the city for its history, it remains a global magnet for sex tourism. What struck me most wasn't just the industry itself, but the significant, yet relaxed police presence. Their role felt less like an intervention and more like a facilitation; a curated environment where the trade is allowed to breathe.

It forced me to ask: Is it the nature of sex work itself that makes it a "taboo" back home in the U.S.? Or is it our collective assumption that women are inherently unsafe in these industries; a narrative we use to justify criminalization rather than empowerment (vis a vis unions, benefits packages, and visibility alongside other industries)?

An American Inflection Point

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we have to reckon with the fact that the United States has reached a chilling inflection point. We often look down on countries that openly facilitate prostitution, yet we must ask ourselves: If the Supreme Court of the United States cannot protect a woman’s fundamental right to privacy and bodily autonomy, and the sitting President is among the most named figures in the Epstein Files, are we truly any better? (See Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2021)) 

There is a bitter irony in the history of labor. It is often said that prostitution and lawyering are the two of the oldest professions. One is criminalized; the other is codified. One is a desperate reclamation of bodily agency; the other is a male-dominated pillar of power.

The Reality of the Bar: Even today, women make up less than half of all lawyers. For Black women, that number plateaus at a staggering 2%. 

While this has been named the Decade of the Female Lawyer by the American Bar Association, the legal profession has spent centuries undermining the rights of women in the "other" oldest profession, creating a hierarchy where men in suits decide which uses of the female body are "legal" and which are "lewd." 

In an era where women, particularly women of color, are launching businesses, supporting households, and leading governments at record highs, the time is now to denounce blatant and counterproductive paternalism. 

The Sweet Escape vs. The Hard Truth

Cartagena gave me exactly what I needed: the sweetest escape from the American hustle, a chance to recharge, and a beautiful backdrop for my global practice. But it also provided a mirror. Whether it’s the streets of Getsemaní or the chambers of the Supreme Court, the struggle remains the same: the fight for women to own their narratives, their labor, and their bodies without the facilitation or interference of a male-dominated state.

This year, let’s celebrate the beauty of our diverse cultures, while committing to dismantling the systems that keep women's autonomy under the thumb of the law.

The "Give to Gain" Mandate

The theme for International Women’s Day 2026 is simply "Give to Gain." It is a call to invest in women to accelerate progress. But we cannot truly "gain" an equitable society if we continue to "take" from women’s autonomy.

To gain a world where all women are free to live and thrive, we must give more than just lip service. We must give:

• Protection over Policing: Shifting our focus from facilitating trades to protecting the humans within them.

• Privacy over Policy: Restoring the right to choose what happens to our own bodies.

• Access over Exclusion: Breaking the barriers that keep the "oldest professions" male-dominated and exclusionary.

Close the Deal, Change the Narrative

Cartagena’s street art exhists as a public museum, but too often women were treated as mere exhibits. In reality, we are the architects of our own lives and our own businesses. Whether I’m closing a deal from a beach club or advocating for a client from my high-rise, I am reminded that our professional freedom is inextricably tied to our personal autonomy.

If you are in search of legal counsel that understands a complicated global landscape, and the nuances of power, privacy, and progress, I am ready to help you navigate your next move.

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