International Women's Day Archives

AFP
Asia

Women rally in Pakistan after legal challenges

Women in Pakistan defy authorities to hold rallies in support of the Aurat March, calling for greater safety and security for women in the country. The marches, which have courted controversy due to their advocacy for women’s rights on issues like sexual harassment and menstruation, have faced opposition from city officials and hardline Islamist groups. Despite this, women continue to march in increasing numbers each year to demand their rights and justice.

The Online Citizen
8 March 2023

AFP
China

Hong Kong women’s march called off after police meetings: organisers

Hong Kong’s Women Workers’ Association cancelled an authorised protest for women’s rights, citing pressure from the police. The group had received authorisation to hold a demonstration but cancelled abruptly after police asked to meet with them. Police denied pressuring the group, but anyone participating in the protest would have been in violation of unlawful assembly laws, they said. Beijing’s national security law effectively ended public demonstrations and protests in Hong Kong, with group gatherings banned for over two years due to pandemic restrictions.

The Online Citizen
8 March 2023

73 women journalists will spend 8 March behind bars

On International Women’s Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned women journalists throughout the world, and sounds the alarm about the disappearance of women journalists from the Afghan media landscape.

The Online Citizen
8 March 2023

Commentaries

International Women’s Day – Why I look forward to the day when we won’t need a day

Liz Drysdale, the Asia Pacific & Japan Marketing Director at SentinelOne, writes in a LinkedIn post that women should be celebrated every day, not just on International Women’s Day. Despite the advances made towards gender equality, Drysdale notes that there is still much work to be done, especially in Asia Pacific where women make up only 35% of the workforce, and only 4% of CEOs and 5% of board members. She urges society to focus on changing old habits and behaviors, supporting organizations that promote gender equality and continuing to push for more opportunities for women.

The Online Citizen
8 March 2023

AFP
World

Women march as rights under threat across the globe

Women worldwide are protesting on International Women’s Day, defending rights increasingly under attack. Marches and rallies are taking place in capitals across the globe, with many reasons to protest, including the Taliban’s banning of women from universities, new US restrictions on abortion rights, and the impact of the Ukraine war on women. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that progress on women’s rights is vanishing and gender equality will take another three centuries to achieve. Women are mobilising particularly over abortion rights following recent undermining in Hungary, Poland and the US.