This past Friday was International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on March 8th. The provenance of the yearly celebration takes its roots in 1917 Russia (if you can believe it), but was officially adopted by the United Nations in 1975. It has been a truly global affair ever since.
Traditions and customs vary from country to country, as do the struggles that women are facing. In far too many nations around the world, basic dignity, equality, and human rights are still not on the table for women and girls, and so the day (while purely symbolic for some) holds great weight to many more.
In honour of all the voices still fighting for their rights and freedoms, the UBC HerCampus team presents 10 photos of International Women’s Day 2019 that deserve our attention.
1. “A soldier of the Bundeswehr hands out a carnation to a passerby in front of the Landmark Brandenburg Tor in Berlin, Germany.”
2. “Students paint their faces during an International Women’s Day celebration at a college in Chennai, India.”
3. “Thousands of people take part in a rally in Bilbao, Spain.” Violet is an international symbolic colour for women’s rights movements.
4. “[Near] the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, a member of the liberal Jewish religious movement “Women of the Wall” holds up a Torah scroll to commemorate the organization’s 30th anniversary.”
5. “Women take part in a candlelight vigil in Dhaka, Bangladesh.” Violence against women in Bangladesh is a major socio-cultural problem.
6. “Women take part in a protest in the Turkish capital Ankara to demand greater women’s rights and an end to violence against women.”
7. “Turkish police block protesters holding a march for International Women’s Day in the main shopping street of Istanbul, Turkey.”
8. “Kenyan women march in the capital, Nairobi, to mark International Women’s Day.”
9. “A feminist activist takes part in a rally for gender equality and women’s rights in Saint Petersburg.”
10. “Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in Madrid, marking International Women’s Day.” Women in Spain went on strike nationwide for the second year in a row.
photo credits: Carsten Koall, Arun Sankar, Luis Tejido, Gali Tibbon, Rehman Asad,
Adem Altan, Lefteris Pitarakis, Khali Senosi, Olga Maltseva, Pierre-Philippe Marcou