Women worldwide march to demand end to violence, inequality

Demonstrations erupted across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas on International Women's Day, with protesters calling for an end to gender-based violence and inequality. The simultaneous protests in multiple countries reflected a widespread global concern for women's rights issues. This unified action underscores the urgent need for systemic change and greater gender equality worldwide.

The protests were particularly strong in cities such as Buenos Aires, Argentina. Demonstrators strongly opposed President Javier Milei's austerity plan, which they believe will cut services for women. The Milei government closed the National Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity and planned to remove the term "femicide" – a term for the murder of women in the context of gender-based violence – from the country's penal code. The Minister of Justice said the term "distorts the concept of equality," implying that women's lives are worth more.

Al Jazeera's Teresa Bo, reporting from Buenos Aires, said that protesters stated that Milei's actions were particularly harmful, given that an average of one woman is killed every 30 hours in the country. A United Nations report released last year found that approximately 60% of women and girls killed in 2023 were killed by their intimate partners or close family members. "Women here say they have fought for too long to back down, to be silent," Bo said. "They say their struggle is too important, which is why they say they will continue to fight in the streets."

In Quito, the capital of Ecuador, hundreds of women marched in protest, holding signs against violence and "patriarchy." "Justice for our daughters!" protesters chanted, in solidarity with women killed in recent years. In Bolivia, thousands of women began marching late Friday, with some spray-painting the walls of the courts, demanding respect for their rights and denouncing impunity for femicide, as less than half of cases result in a conviction.

In many European countries, women also protested violence, advocating for better access to healthcare for women, equal pay, and other issues where disparities with men persist. In Poland, activists opened a center across from the parliament building in Warsaw where women can undergo medical abortions, also known as non-surgical abortions, alone or with other women. Opening the center across from the legislature on International Women's Day was a symbolic challenge to authorities in the traditionally Roman Catholic country, which has one of Europe's strictest abortion laws. Protesters also took to the streets in Madrid, Spain.

Some protesters held hand-drawn images depicting French woman Gisele Pellicot, who was drugged by her ex-husband over a decade and then raped by dozens of men while unconscious. Pellicot has become a symbol for women across Europe fighting against sexual violence. In Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, thousands of women gathered at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, dancing, singing, and celebrating their womanhood. Many wore purple – the traditional color of the women's liberation movement.

In Russia, Women's Day celebrations took on a more official tone, with honor guard soldiers handing out yellow tulips to girls and women at celebrations in St. Petersburg. In Ukraine, a ceremony was held in the city of Kharkiv to commemorate female soldiers who died in the fighting against the Russian invasion. This commemoration served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by women in the ongoing conflict.