Alright folks, we’re signing off on what was an incredible International Women’s Day. Thousands of women and allies gathered in cities across the world to protest for women’s rights and protection against violence. Demonstrations were seen in over a dozen countries, from Pakistan to Argentina.
For some, the risks of protesting were great. In many cities, women were often met with counter-protestors, sometimes in the form of riot police who used tear gas to disperse crowds.
No matter the risk, women showed up and demanded to be heard, showing the fight for rights will continue well past this day for women.
Bogotá, Colombia
In Bogotá, Colombia’s capital, today’s demonstrations had a timely significance following the Constitutional Court’s decision not to modify the restrictive abortion law last Monday.
“Today’s marches show that the fight for our rights is not over,” said Gina Borre, a pro-choice activist with the Viejas Verdes movement. “Each year we are more united, more powerful.”
Demonstrators, many wearing green bandanas, gathered at the Centre for Peace and Memory near downtown Bogotá on Sunday morning, before marching towards Parque Olaya in the city’s south.
“This is a debate that always gets politicized, and their are many powerful interests, like the catholic and evangelical churches,” said Olga Amparo, the coordinator of local women’s rights group Casa de la Mujer. “But we are talking about healthcare and rights - which are universal.”
Abortion is currently illegal in Colombia, except in cases where the life and health of the pregnant woman or the fetus are at risk, or in cases where the conception was the result of incest or rape. The court had an opportunity to loosen the law, though ultimately decided to maintain the status quo, disappointing watchdogs and activists across the region.
“By failing to take this historic opportunity to move towards the decriminalization of abortion in Colombia, the Constitutional Court has turned its back on women and their struggle to end the cycle of violence and the control mechanisms of which they have been the victims,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, in a press release following the decision on Monday.
With the law so restrictive, many women are forced to seek clandestine, illegal abortions. Over the last decade or so, Colombia has investigated 4,802 people for having or aiding in illegal abortions, according to the country’s attorney general. Nearly 500 of those cases were women under 18 years old.
“Our bodies means our decisions,” said Natalia López, a student from Bogotá. “The fight goes on.”
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Un Violador En Tu Camino – A Rapist In Your Path
The anti-rape anthem, En Violador En Tu Camino, A Rapist In Your Path, became a viral phenomenon after it was first debuted by Chilean protestors in November. The anthem has since been performed across the globe, in front of presidential mansions to outside the courthouse where Harvey Weinstein was put on trial.
The spread and impact of the anthem was clear on International Women’s Day when women around the world stood in formation and performed the anthem, along with the choreography. Here are some images of women performing En Violador En Tu Camino across the world today.
Police clash with protestors around the world
While many of today’s demonstrations have occurred peacefully, riot police in multiple cities have used forced against protestors in multiple cities.
In Istanbul, Turkey, police dispersed tear gas into a crowd and pushed protestors away after local officials closed down streets leading to the city’s main square.
Police in Kyrgyzstan arrested several protestors after they clashed with a group of men in masks who started attacking demonstrators. Police say they arrested the women because they were causing public disruption.
In Santiago, Chile, police had a full-on clash with protestors, using water hoses and tear gas in attempts to disperse crowds. Many women came prepared, wearing gas masks and even sling shots to fight back against the police.
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Sao Paulo, Brazil
A huge demonstration in Sao Paulo has women protesting for women’s rights and in criticism of Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for not responding to violence against women. In the beginning of 2019, four women in Brazil were being killed everyday.
Bogotá, Colombia
Marches swept Colombia on Sunday morning, with demonstrations taking place in city’s across the Andean nation.
In Bogotá, the capital, on a bright Sunday morning, thousands of people gathered at the Centre for Memory and Peace before making their way towards Parque Olaya, in the south of the city, where a market has been set up to raise funds for women’s rights groups.
“We are here to demand and end to the violence we face every day,” said Carla Pérez, a public relations consultant. “We are here because the streets are ours.”
People were marching for various causes. Some protested the government’s inability to protect female social leaders - who continue to be murdered at alarming rates. Others called for the relaxation of the country’s restrictive abortion laws. Others took issue with the government’s perceived slow-walking of the historic 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a left rebel group.
The march for International Women’s Day reaches Parque Olaya, in the south of Bogotá. #Colombia pic.twitter.com/UJUdzKhqU0
— Joe Parkin Daniels (@joeparkdan) March 8, 2020
Colombia’s conflict, in which 260,000 people were killed and over 7m displaced. Sexual violence was widespread, but amid massacres and mass kidnappings it tended to be ignored or met with impunity.
“Violence against women is systemic,” said Angela Guerrero, a lawyer from Bogotá. “Today we make ourselves heard.”
Meanwhile, Bogotá’s newly elected mayor, Claudia Lopez - the city’s first female mayor - gave a speech at the city’s Parque Nacional across town. “The principal pandemic is brutal violence against women,” she said to cheers.
“We are here because these streets are ours,” demonstrators say at the International Women’s Day march in Bogotá. pic.twitter.com/4sCd98utxx
— Joe Parkin Daniels (@joeparkdan) March 8, 2020
“My body is a territory of struggle.” #InternationalWomenDay pic.twitter.com/rH8tMwz0yN
— Joe Parkin Daniels (@joeparkdan) March 8, 2020
Santiago, Chile
There are now clashes between police and protesters. Some girls told me that men are lighting barricades, provoking them. “Que se vaya los machitos” chant the women (get out, little men). Meanwhile women from Chile’s frontline protesters move forward to confront the police.
Tear gas at the march in Chile, women are running in panic. The primer linea, frontline, all women, run towards the police to confront them. #DiaInternacionalDeLaMujer #8M2020 #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/sdh326BZsB
— Charis McGowan (@charis_mcgowan) March 8, 2020
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‘A Girl Inspiring the World’
In honor of International Women’s Day, British art group Sand In Your Eye made a 60-meter portrait of climate activist Greta Thunberg in Hebden Bridge earlier this week. The group worked with school children, who help the Sand In Your Eye artists with the portrait, which is made with line marker paint.
Mexico City, Mexico
From Maya Averbuch, who is in Mexico City:
In front of Mexico’s National Palace, women gathered in the morning to paint the names of victims of femicide since 2016. The used stencils to print the women’s first names, from a list that included over 3,000. It was the first year they organized this protest action in the capital.
Femicide, which is defined as killings of women because of their gender, has become a subject of debate in Mexico because of the rising number of dead. Last year, over 10 women were killed daily, in comparison with the six daily just three years earlier.
“It’s important for there to be a palace where the names of all the dead are visible,” said Aurora Zarzosa, 50, one of the women who was painting. “We cannot pretend they do not exist.”
In recent months, women have protested not only against the fact that few of the perpetrators are ever convicted, but also that gruesome photos of the dead are printed in local newspapers. In Mexico City, the names – Diana, Rosario, Zoilae – appeared on the ground in all-white letters.
“It’s easy for the people who commit these crimes, because they do not have to pay a price,” said Mariam Bujalil, 52. “I never want to find my name here, or the names of my daughters, or of my granddaughters.”
In front of Mexico’s National Palace, women are painting the names of victims of femicide. They started in the morning with stencil letters. By the end of the day, they imagine they’ll finish only some of the over 3,000 names on their list of women killed from 2016-2020. pic.twitter.com/sW4ImhcyAC
— Maya Averbuch (@mayaaverbuch) March 8, 2020
Later, thousands of people marched through the historic center. In front of a pink monument of the Venus symbol that was erected in honor of victims of femicide, they took the microphone to call out people who had harmed them. Turning the private into the public was, at once, an act of catharsis, and a fierce rebuke.
“Last week, Citlali left the house to go to work,” one woman said. “It’s impossible that they forced her into a car fifty meters from her office, and nobody in the hotel heard her screams.”
Much of the outcry this year was focused on physical violence: One woman called out the family member who had raped her as a child, another the man who had stabbed her sister, a third a university professors who told her she could not graduate unless she slept with him.
Behind them, women who were walking toward the main plaza chanted slogans, as plumes of purple smoke rose from the crowds. A small portion of marchers graffitied statues and broke the glass covering advertisements on the sidewalk, as lines of police barricaded the entrance to historic sites.
In the middle of the tumult, the women with the microphone also criticized those who failed to help them in the aftermath of crimes: the health system, for not covering the costs of psychological treatment; the government, for failing to investigate; and other women, for not believing their stories of abuse.
“Her daughter cries for her all the time,” said Blanca Alicia Gomez Vargas, holding photos of her niece above her head. “They killed her in Querétaro, which they say is a beautiful city.”
People have taken the microphone to call out their abusers, or people who have harmed their family. Here’s a young woman holding photographs of her cousin, who was murdered last year. pic.twitter.com/Bj32SORStN
— Maya Averbuch (@mayaaverbuch) March 8, 2020
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Santiago, Chile
Here’s a look at a huge group of women performing anti-rape anthem Un Violador en Tu Camino, A Rapist In Your Path, in Chile, where the viral anthem was created by Las Tesis, a Chilean feminist collective.
Women perform the Las Tesis anthem "A Rapist in Your Path" on repeat outside the Presidential Palace. These women were among the first to perform the song in November, which since went viral across the world #8M2020 #InternationalWomensDay #Marcha8M pic.twitter.com/x1AGx4LMBA
— Charis McGowan (@charis_mcgowan) March 8, 2020
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Argentina is another country that has seen a dramatic rise in femicides recently. In the first two months of 2020, the country had 63 femicides.
Today, protestors held red roses and signs with the names of women who were victims of femicide as they marched to the presidential palace in Buenos Aires.
Mexico
Protests are gearing up in Mexico and are focused on the country’s alarming rate of femicides, gender-based murders of women. Last year over 1,000 of the country’s murders were classified as femicides. Activists have been protesting for months, voicing their frustration over Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s underwhelming reaction to the murders.
Today’s demonstration will transition into a nationwide strike, where million of women are planning to stay home from work for 24 hours to protest the rise in violence.
Read more about what’s planned here:
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Amsterdam, the Netherlands
A huge protest was held in celebration of International Women’s Day in Amsterdam. Here’s a look at the city’s protest.
Milan, Italy
A small group of women in Milan, Italy (some wearing pink face masks) came out to show their support for International Women’s Day, though huge chunks of northern Italy, including Milan, have been put under lockdown amid rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.
Their signs read “to all women” and “international day of beautiful women’s rights”.
Santiago, Chile
At the Presidential Palace, La Moneda, approximately 2 km from the main protest square, women from the Coordinadora 8m are performing A Rapist In Your Path on repeat.
Written by Chilean activist group Las Tesis, women in Santiago are among the first women who performed the song, which has since gone viral across the world.
“This is an emblematic place and the lyrics of the song speak about what is happening in there” says Maria Victoria, one of the performers. They’ve performed it 7 times so far today, under the scorching heat of Chile’s capital.
At the songs close protesters shout “Pinera murderer!” and point toward the Palace.
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Hello everyone, this is Lauren Aratani in the US taking over. Demonstrations are still taking place all over the world. Here are some pictures of the massive protests that are happening in Chile.
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I’m handing over to my colleagues in the US who will continue the blog from there.
Thank you all for sharing your powerful photographs, and stories of your events.
If you’d like to see more of the powerful photographs from IWD around the world, take a look at our photo gallery here:
Italy
Whilst around a quarter of the Italian population is in lock down due to coronavirus, Italian President Sergio Mattarella released a video message in which he expressed regret at the need to avoid large-scale gatherings.
He said he was giving “a grateful thought to the women - and there are many - who are working in hospitals... in the red (quarantine) zones to fight the spread of the virus that worries us today.”
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Paris, France
Human rights groups and politicians have criticised alleged police violence at a women’s march in Paris on the eve of IWD, after nine people were arrested during scuffles between police and protesters.
Pictures on Twitter appeared to show marchers left battered and bruised.
Paris mayor Paris Anne Hidalgo said she was shocked at the “unacceptable and incomprehensible” violence. She said she stood in solidarity with demonstrators.
Europe Ecology-The Greens party secretary Julien Bayou described the events as: “absolutely unjustifiable police violence”.
Asia
Whilst number of IWD events were cancelled across Asia due to the coronavirus, including South Korea which has the most severe outbreak outside of China.
“Although we can’t be physically together, our minds for realising gender equality are stronger than ever,” the country’s gender equality minister Lee Jung-Ok said in a video message.
However, marches took place in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, and Chinese state broadcaster CCTV took the opportunity to highlight the work of female medics tackling coronavirus.
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London, UK
In London, the Women’s Strike has just begun. It encourages women to withdraw all work - whether paid, or unpaid domestic work - on IWD.
“The Women’s Strike rejects the decades of economic inequality, criminalization and policing, racial and sexual violence, and endless global war and terrorism,” the group said in a statement.
“The Women’s Strike is a strike for solidarity between women – women of colour, indigenous, working class, disabled, migrant, Muslim, lesbian, queer and trans women. On 8 March, in cities and towns across the UK we will meet each other on the streets and strike against a system of power that keep us isolated and divided from one another.”
“We say that when women stop, the world stops with us, so we’re also saying that resisting women will change the world. We’re not just in solidarity with each other here today, we’re ready and we’re starting a common struggle to make the twenty first century the era of women’s liberation,” said Elif Sarican, a Kurdish women’s movement organiser and speaker at the protest.
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Manila, Philippines
In the Philippines, feminist movements have linked up with anti-imperial movements, and dissidents against the Duterte regime. Hundreds took to the streets to call for an end to imperialism, and to Duterte’s rule.
A large effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been accused of misogyny, was also burnt.
“The violence and poverty among women are getting worse,” Joms Salvador of women’s group Gabriela told AFP.
“While we have 37 laws related to women’s rights, on the ground what is happening is a widespread violence in the forms of domestic abuse, sexual harassment and rape,” he said.
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Berlin, Germany
In the German capital, women have participated in a ‘purple ride’ - a bicycle demonstration.
Edirne, Turkey
Female asylum seekers who are waiting at Turkey’s Pazarkule border crossing to reach Europe have staged a demonstration demanding the gate be opened on IWD.
Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Chile
Chile’s main protest square, Plaza Dignidad, is now full— and the march hasn’t even officially begun yet.
There’s a huge 8M flag, and women are spray painting signs on the roads.
A woman is on top of the horse in the square’s central statue of Baquedano. She’s covering her eye, a tribute to over 400 victims who have had their eyes shot by police weapons since the unrest broke out in October.
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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Here is a video of the IWD protest in Kyrgyzstan, where predominantly female protesters were arrested after masked men attacked the demonstration.
Glasgow, Scotland
The Clydeside branch of the International Workers of the World Union have organised a demonstration in Glasgow.
They are joined by the West Dumbartonshire branch of WASPI, Women Against State Pension Inequality, some of whom are dressed as suffragettes.
Dhaka, Bangladesh
In the early hours of the morning of March 8, women in Dhaka, Bangladesh held a candlelight vigil to mark IWD.
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Argentine Armed Forces all-women orchestra played as part of IWD celebrations on March 6. The Women’s Armed Forces Orchestra brings together officers from the Army, Navy and Air Force.
Sydney, Australia
IWD demonstrations also took place in Sydney, Australia.
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Lausanne, Switzerland
On the eve of IWD, women in Switzerland took part in a flashmob.
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Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Pakistan
Marches have taken place in Pakistani cities to call for gender equality. In some areas, women are still put to death under ancient ‘honour’ codes.
People all over the world are sharing photographs of themselves making an ‘equal’ sign with their arms, as part of the hashtag #EachforEqual, promoting gender inequality.
Here is an Amnesty International community group based in Durban, South Africa, who have been operating for 30 year with members of all ages, right up to 89 year old Coral.
Below is a Lean In circle in Penang, Malaysia. Lean In circles bring women from all backgrounds together and offer peer mentorship, skill development and a space to be “unapologetically ambitious”. There are 44,000 Lean in circles in more than 170 countries.
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Manchester, England
A demonstration is taking place in Manchester with Sisters Not Strangers, a campaign led by refugee and asylum-seeking women, which aims to “build solidarity for women who have come to the UK to seek safety but have instead been made destitute”.
The group are singing in the city’s Piccadilly Gardens to mark IWD.
Paris, France
Women of General Confederation of Labour, a large labour union in France, have taken to the streets to demand equality, seemingly dressed like WWII feminist icon, Rosie the Riveter.
Women of General Confederation of Labour (CGT) attend a protest demanding equality on International Women’s Day in Paris, France, March 8, 2020. Photograph: Pascal Rossignol/Reuters
Kiev, Ukraine
Demonstrations are also taking place in Kiev, Ukraine. Activists are calling for an end to violence against women, and wider gender equality.
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Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
A march is taking place in Skopje, organised The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of North Macedonia. The protest was created with the motto ‘You are not guilty’.
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Moscow, Russia
A running event has been held on IWD in Moscow. Hundreds of men run with tulips and gift them to women on the finish line.
Alongside the tulip races, a rally is taking place organised by the group of activists We Are Khachaturyan Sisters in Moscow’s Sokolniki Hyde Park.
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Chile
Chile’s 8M comes at a politically tense time - amidst a social revolt and in the run up to a historic referendum vote in April to change the country’s Pinochet-era constitution. The country has been seized by mass demonstrations for for over 4 months.
Chile’s women share the demands of their regional peers — legal abortion, against violence, against impunity for abusers, greater equality — on top of this we’ll be seeing demands for justice for women who have been assaulted by the state.
Violence against women in Chile
Since October, when Chile’s uprising first broke out, the National Human Rights Organization (INDH) are investigating 433 cases against state officials to women: 247 for torture and cruelty, 112 for torture with sexual violence, 20 for unnecessary violence, 3 for frustrated homicide.
The two cases of frustrated homicide against women I know of are of 15-year-old Geraldine Alvarado, who was in Santiago’s main protest square Plaza Italia, 10 dec, when a tear gas canister was shot at her head. It left a wound so deep that her skull was exposed. She was left in a coma and was on the verge of death for 5 days.
Fabiola Campillai was waiting for a bus to work when police shot her directly in the face on 26 November. Her face was completely crushed by the impact, losing vision in both eyes and her sense of smell. She’s had one high-risk surgery, and soon she will need another. Still no police officer has been named or brought to trial for what they did, speaking recently Fabiola said “justice would be for them to give me back my eyes. There will never be justice for what they did to me”.
IWD march
Feminist groups have sent out guidelines and precautions to women about how to stay safe during the march. This includes bringing protective eye wear and tear gas masks. Bringing laurel water and sliced lemon for tear gas relief, Milk Of Magnesia for pepper spray.
I went to four hard wear stores yesterday and all the gas masks were sold out. In one store, a mother was buying protective wear for her daughter’s first Women’s Day march. She said her friend “I can’t believe I have to buy this so my daughter can protest safely”.
The police are sending out women officers to guard the march, promising the event will be family friendly and safe. However protesters are highly distrustful of police. On Friday, a man died while protesting, caused by a tear gas canister impacting his head.
Women representing different causes will head today’s march. There are representatives for trans and lesbians rights, for those representing victims of police oppression since October, migrant voices fighting against racism, sex worker groups.
All march for their own fights but unite against the violation of human rights inflicted by the state since October “we demand that they stop shooting at us mutilating us, raping us and commit to protecting humans rights”, says march organiser, coordinadora 8m Santiago.
After the separatist segment of the march, all groups are welcome to join. Cis men, however, are discouraged from joining.
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Toledo, Spain
A march is underway in Toledo, central Spain, creating a sea of purple.
Paris, France
Demonstrations are underway in the French capital. A number of Mexican women are there protesting against femicide in Mexico.
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Baghdad, Iraq
A demonstration is taking place in the capital of Baghdad to call for gender equality.
Women wearing protective face masks, following an outbreak of coronavirus, chant slogans as they protest during the International Women’s Day in Baghdad, Iraq, March 8, 2020. Photograph: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
If you’re on the go, but still want to mark IWD, here’s some podcast suggestions from Miranda Sawyer.
This from Sam Jones, the Guardian’s Madrid correspondent:
Hundreds of rallies and demonstrations are kicking off across Spain, which has seen huge crowds gather to mark International Women’s Day over recent years.
Nationwide events are going ahead despite the coronavirus alert, although Spain’s health authorities have asked people showing symptoms consistent with the virus to stay at home.
Protests are due to be held in all the country’s big cities and towns including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Granada, Bilbao, Palma de Mallorca, Valladolid and Santander.
Fourteen women have been murdered by their partners in Spain so far this year, while 99 died at the hands of their partners in 2019. Since the government began recording gender-based violence deaths in 2003, a total of 1,047 women have been murdered.
Organisers and campaigners have urged women across Spain to take to the streets “to demand that the state, the Catholic hierarchy, the patriarchal powers - both economic and political - and the sexist culture (of our friends, fathers, brothers and neighbours) respect our autonomy and freedom to take decisions when it comes to our sexuality, our bodies and our life plans”.
Today’s manifesto also roundly rejects those who seek to use women’s rights as a means to justify violence against women.
“We reject the use people make of the rights of women, lesbians and trans people to favour and legitimise racist and reactionary policies and discourses,” it reads. “We want all of us to be free.”
Spain’s equality minister, Irene Montero, tweeted: “Today we are taking to the streets because they belong to us, too, and so that we can live free of sexist violence, so that we can share out time, riches and care provision, and so that we can love whoever we want and be whoever we want. We are doing it for those who came before and those who will coe in the future.”
Earlier on Sunday, Spain’s health minister, Salvador Illa, called on anyone who thought they may have the coronavirus to “avoid the demonstrations, stay home and self-isolate”.
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London, UK
Demonstrators from climate activist group Extinction Rebellion have been protesting in London for IWD, arguing that the “climate is a women’s issue.”
Thirty one women formed a topless chain blocking Waterloo Bridge in London, with the words ‘Climate Rape’, ‘Climate Murder’, ‘Climate Abuse’, ‘Climate Inequality’ and ‘Climate Justice’ written on their bodies.
The group said the action was to highlight “the disproportionate impact of the climate and ecological emergency on women, and the resulting increase in hardship, violence and rape.”
“The UK action is in solidarity with everyone on the streets for International Women’s Day with the message that ‘climate is a women’s issue’ and calls on women in the UK to recognise this is happening to our sisters in the global south now and will be a reality faced by all women if decisive action is not taken,” a statement added.
They chose Waterloo Bridge because of its nickname of ‘The Ladies Bridge’, as many of the welders, stonemasons and labourers that built the bridge during the second world war were women.
The action in the UK is part of a wave of Extinction Rebellion IWD, spanning Colombia, Spain, Turkey, The Gambia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Uganda, DRC, Belgium, Israel, The Philippines, Switzerland, Argentina and the UK.
Sarah Mintram, former teacher and member of the Extinction Rebellion International Support Team, who took part in the action in London, said: “It’s mainly women in poorer countries in the global south that are experiencing the increase in violence but this will be the reality for all women if the climate and ecological crisis continues to go unaddressed.”
“We are here to raise the alarm about what is happening to our sisters around the world and to tell women in the UK the climate and ecological emergency is your issue – it will affect you as a woman if we do not persuade our government to take urgent action starting now.”
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Baghdad, Iraq
Celebrations have been taking place in Tahrir Square in the capital of Baghdad to mark IWD.
Some were seen wearing face masks, seemingly in response to fears around coronavirus. Iraq currently has 47 confirmed cases, and four deaths from the virus.
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Scandinavia, Finland, and Iceland
The Prime Ministers of Iceland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden have released a joint statement reaffirming their commitments to gender equality.
The statement also highlights their “grave concern over the current pushback against women’s and girls’ rights” and calls on other world leaders to reject this.
“We have witnessed a surge in regressive policies around the world, often undermining universal human rights,” it says.
You can read the full statement here.
Iceland has topped the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report for the past 11 years, with Nordic countries making up four of the top five gender equal countries.
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London, UK
The March4Women is set to kick off in an hour’s time in the British capital. The march combines feminist and climate movements, and will be joined by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Musicians and actors including Emeli Sandé, who will perform, and the Kaiser Chief’s Ricky Wilson will be in attendance, as will activists including Sandi Toksvig, Bianca Jagger and Helen Pankhurst.
The March4Women aims to spotlight on the women on the front lines of the climate crisis, and call for action from world leaders.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “I’m proud to be marching alongside women and allies this International Women’s Day. The gender inequality we still see in our city, country and globally is unacceptable.
“As Mayor, and as a proud feminist, I’m determined that no woman or girl should be disadvantaged just because of their gender and want London to lead the way in changing that.”
It will begin with an opening rally at Royal Festival Hall, as part of the Women of the World festival, and will march over the river Thames, meet crowds at Whitehall place, before moving to Parliament Square for music and a final rally.
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A new campaign to promote the National Domestic Abuse Helpline has been launched in the UK on IWD, with the support of celebrities including Olivia Coleman and Lorraine Kelly.
The helpline’s campaign has been launched by the charity Refuge, who provide specialist support for women and children experiencing domestic violence.
They want every woman to know the number of the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, 0808 2000 247, and the charity will be projecting it on to the largest advertising display in Europe, London’s Piccadilly lights, at midday.
TV presenter Lorraine Kelly said: “It is a disgrace that in 2020 we live in a world where so many women experience domestic abuse - the numbers are shocking. No woman should live in fear. That needs to change - today.”
Kelly and Coleman have both changed the pictures on their social media profiles to the helpline, to help promote it.
Chief executive of Refuge Sandra Horley said: “Refuge’s freephone 24 hour national domestic abuse helpline is at the heart of how this country responds to domestic abuse - it is a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of women across the country.
“0808 2000 247 is a number that every woman should know. Today, International Women’s Day, Refuge and an amazing band of high-profile women will work to make this a reality. Women’s lives depend on it.”
It is estimated that one in three women experience some form of domestic abuse in their lifetimes.
We're live at #PicadillyLights! we want every woman to know that our Freephone 24 hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline is here to support them every day of the year. No woman should experience #DomesticAbuse alone - share if you agree. pic.twitter.com/x9UKMzXXmD
— Refuge (@RefugeCharity) March 8, 2020
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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Dozens of protesters, mostly female, have been arrested at a rally calling for gender equality in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, after masked men attacked them and tore up their placards.
The detentions came after the men wearing face masks and pointed national hats attacked the crowd, tearing up their posters, popping balloons with toy pistols and throwing eggs at the women before fleeing the scene, AFP report.
Erlan Atantayev, deputy head of the Sverdlovsky police department where the women were taken, told AFP that the protesters had been arrested for their own safety, and because police had not been informed about the rally beforehand.
“Clashes began between the demonstrators and men wearing the face masks,” said Atantayev. “We detained (the women) for violation of public order.” He added that some demonstrators could face fines for resisting arrest, and that police were conducting “explanatory work” with the protesters they had detained.
Police also detained three male attackers but allegedly did not chase after those who ran away.
Journalist Nurjamal Djanibekova told AFP that one of the attackers broke her phone to stop her from filming the attack. She said that 70 people were being held in the Sverdlovsky police station.
A ban was placed on demonstrations in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, apparently to stop the spread of coronavirus. However, this was later lifted after the city administration withdrew their request.
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David Schneider, co-writer of the screenplay for critically acclaimed comedy Death of Stalin, has poked fun at those complaining about the existence of IWD.
"We apologise for the temporary interruption to #InternationalMensDay. Normal service will be resumed at midnight"#InternationalWomensDay
— David Schneider (@davidschneider) March 8, 2020
Australia
The Australian government has announced a number of new policies to support women in an IWD announcement.
The federal government revealed the identity of the country’s first Ambassador for Gender Equality. The role will be held by Julie-Ann Guivarra, a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and replaces the role of Ambassador for Women and Girls, a position that had been held by former Liberal MP Sharman Stone since 2017.
As part of her role, Ms Guivarra will “work to ensure that gender equality, and empowerment of women and girls, is a central focus of Australia’s diplomatic, development, and regional security efforts,” Minister for Women, Senator Payne, said.
The government has also pledged $20 million into an interest-free loan program to help victims of domestic violence pay for basic goods, such as furniture and bills.
The scheme would make loans of up to $2000 available to women who have experienced domestic violence, Social Services Minister Anne Ruston announced on this years IWD day.
“Women leaving violence often face financial hardship and we hope these loans go some way to help them meet the costs of the basics,” she said.
The announcement also revealed that women leaving abusive relationships would be given individual financial counsellors to help them get back on track. The government also said it would be providing $2.8 million over two years for local support services in each state and territory, including shelters and crisis help.
Senator Ruston said with Sunday marking International Women’s Day, it was important for Australians to reflect on what they could to stop family violence.
“We should be ashamed of ourselves in Australia that we have the kind of domestic violence perpetration that we’re seeing,” she told Sky News. “Until we change people’s behaviour, we’re just going to be responding to domestic violence and we have to start preventing it.”
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Paris, France
Members of the women’s movement FEMEN have staged a protest on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, calling for an end to patriarchy.
The demonstration appears to reference the current outbreak of coronavirus, with some placards saying “stop the patriarchal virus” and “stop the patriarchal pandemic”. Whilst topless, the activists’ outfits resemble hazmat suits.
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Russia
The youth section of Russia’s ruling party, United Russia Young Guard, has organised marches marking IWD.
Yekaterinburg, Russia - March 8, 2020. Photograph: Donat Sorokin/TASS
Photograph: Kirill Kukhmar/TASS
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Want to celebrate IWD from the comfort of your sofa? My colleague Guy Lodge has compiled the best films to watch this IWD, celebrating the work of female directors.
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Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
A demonstration on Victory Square in the capital of Bishkek has led to the arrest of several protesters from the women’s movement, FEMEN.
FEMEN are known around the world for their protests, which are usually conducted topless by women with slogans written across their bodies.
In 2015, studies showed that 11,800 women in Kyrgyzstan are kidnapped to be married, a process known as bride kidnapping, every year. One fifth of these are victims of violence including rape.
You can read more about gender inequality and the fight against it in Kyrgyzstan and other former USSR countries in this article from Joanna Lillis, published on IWD five years ago.
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Chile
More than a million women in Chile are set to take to the streets today, as IWD demonstrations build on a wave of social unrest that took off in October last year.
The unrest began in response to rising metro fares, but has grown to address wider issues of social injustice, inequality and costs of living.
You can read more about the social movement erupting in Chile, and its impact on IWD, from Charis McGowan here:
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Mexico City, Mexico
Femicides in Mexico have more than doubled in the past five years, and this is set to be a theme of IWD events in the country. A march in Mexico’s capital is expected to bring record numbers of women on to the streets. They’re heading to the public square across from the national palace to call for an end to violence against women.
“I’m going to march for each and every woman in this country, for the dead and the living, for the victims of violence,” Carmen Rojas, 52, in Mexico City, told Reuters. “We have to raise our voices.”
Yesterday, on the eve of IWD, around 200 protesters made a “feminist chain” in Mexico City to protest against gender-based violence.
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Hello, and welcome to the Guardian’s coverage of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2020. We’ll be looking at the IWD events taking place around the world.
If you’re celebrating, protesting, or hosting, let us know! You can tweet me @mollyblackall.
What is IWD?
According to the United Nations, who sponsor the event, IWD is “is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women, who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.”
IWD has taken place each year on March 8 since 1977, when the UN General Assembly invited member states to announce the day as the UN Day for women’s rights and world peace.
This year’s theme is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing women’s rights”.
UN coverage of the day highlights the obstacles still faced by women around the world, reminding us that women earn 23% less than men globally, and make up just 24% of parliamentary seats worldwide.
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