MADRID (AP) — Demonstrations, conferences and artistic events around the world Wednesday marked International Women’s Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet’s population.
While activists in some parts of the planet noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran — and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide — highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women’s rights.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women’s rights were “abused, threatened and violated” around the world and gender equality won’t be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change.
Even in countries that have pioneered advances for women, there have been recent setbacks for the feminist cause:
This is the first International Women’s Day since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion last year and many states adopted restrictions on abortion.
The United Nations recognized International Women’s Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in labor movements of the early 20th century. This day is celebrated in different ways and to varying degrees in different countries.
Japanese women’s suffrage activists held small rallies to reiterate their call for the government to allow the couple to continue using different surnames. Under the Civil Code of 1898, a couple must adopt “husband’s or wife’s surname” upon marriage.
Activists argued the law fostered gender inequality as women faced intense pressure to take their husband’s surname. The majority of people support the name of In the Philippines, hundreds of demonstrators from various women’s groups demonstrated in Manila demanding higher wages and decent jobs.
The United Nations has identified Afghanistan as the world’s most repressive country for women and girls since the Taliban took power in 2021. and impose a rule that the girl effectively stays at home.”
It bans girls’ education after grade 6 and bans women from entering public places such as parks and gymnasiums. Women must cover themselves from head to toe and are not allowed to work for national and international non-governmental organizations.
In Europe, hundreds of Albanian women protesting domestic violence threw black and red smoke grenades at police headquarters in Kosovo’s capital. Demonstrators, who demonstrated under the motto “We march, we don’t celebrate,” denounced sexism by police, prosecutors and courts.
In Russia, where International Women’s Day is a national holiday, President Vladimir Putin presented state awards to several women at a Kremlin ceremony. Selected military doctors and journalists to carry out missions inside.
In Spain, more than one million people were expected to attend her evening demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Many other cities around the world also held large gatherings, but some countries only held smaller events.
Elsewhere in Europe, tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Paris and other French cities, brandishing placards with the messages ‘equal pay now’ and ‘solidarity with women around the world’. . The rally focused on protesting proposed changes to the pension system that women’s groups say are unfair to working mothers. The plan also envisions the establishment of women’s centers in all regions of France by next year to assist women victims of violence, and will help companies and public procurements that do not publish a gender equality index. We plan to ban companies with low ratings from. French women’s average salary is her 15.8, lower than men’s.
