In the spirit of International Women’s Day, organizers of the Women’s March have called on women and girls around the world to take the day off and avoid spending money in order to illustrate their economic and social impact on the world.
The message was received loud and clear. From Australia to the U.S., women around the world are participating in IWD events to raise their voice in support of gender equality and women’s rights.
In Madrid, 200 people gathered to mark International Women’s Day and support a women’s group that, only a day earlier, had ended a 26-day hunger strike to demand action against domestic violence.
The group, known as the Velaluz Association, ended their hunger strike after lawmakers assured them they would address their demands. In 2014, 44 women died in Spain as a result of domestic violence.
In Naples, female protesters, many wearing pink ribbons in their hair and carrying banners and signs, clashed with riot police in the streets as they demonstrated for women’s health rights and gender equality. On campuses, activists, teachers and students also met to discuss women’s rights ahead of a parade in what they referred to as a “global strike.”
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In Australia, female childcare workers walked off the job early to protest poor pay rates. According to the United Voice Union, more than 1,000 staffers at various childcare centres across the country stopped working at 3:20 p.m. in order to draw attention to wage disparities.
“3:20 represents the time that Australian women ostensibly start working for free in comparison to men if you take into account the gender pay gap,” said Helen Gibbons, the union’s assistant national secretary.
“We know that this has traditionally been seen as women’s work,” she said. “It’s 2017 and this is not OK to continue. The people who work in this sector demand equal pay.”
Women also gathered for a march in Tokyo, protesting low wages, long hours and other obstacles women face. The participants, who held placards, chanted “It’s hard to be a woman, and our patience is running out!”
In Cyprus, leaders of the country’s Muslim, Orthodox, Armenian and Maronite Christian communities issued a first-ever joint statement on International Women’s Day. The letter condemned violence targeting women and girls. The leaders said that it was their religious duty to stand united, and reject the “misuse of religion to vindicate” violence against women.
With files from The Associated Press
