AFP•March 8, 2020
1/5
Supporters of the Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami party attended a rally in what remains an ultra-conservative society where women can still be put to death under ancient "honour" codes (AFP Photo/ARIF ALI)
2/5
Women were also vocal in Paris -- but one rally saw police accused of violence against marchers after they made nine arrests (AFP Photo/Martin BUREAU)
3/5
US singer Katy Perry performed ahead of the women's T20 match (AFP Photo)
4/5
Topless Femen activists demonstrated at Place de la Concorde in Paris denouncing 'the patriarchal pandemic' (AFP Photo/Martin BUREAU)
5/5
Kiev joined a slew of other European cities in holding a rally to demand more respect for women's rights (AFP Photo/Sergei SUPINSKY)
In China -- the epicentre of the epidemic that has killed more than 3,500 people and infected over 100,000 worldwide -- state broadcaster CCTV highlighted the work of female medical workers on the frontlines in the fight against the virus.
Despite growing fears over the worsening epidemic, marches went ahead in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines while women also rallied in ultra-conservative Pakistan demanding "freedom".
A women's marathon planned in India was postponed over virus concerns as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said prominent women would run his social media accounts for the day.
France saw a clutch of virus deaths take its virus toll to 16 Saturday but Paris hosted several rallies -- one of which saw violence which organisers blamed on police.
A rally in Kyrgyzstan also turned violent as police detained dozens of protesters -- mainly women -- after masked men attacked them and tore up their placards in the capital Bishkek. A police spokesman said they were detained for their own safety and because police had not been warned about the rally.
In South Korea, where more than 7,000 virus infections make it the hardest hit country outside China, several events were cancelled.
"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.
- 'Violence and poverty getting worse' -
Many feminist groups held online campaigns instead of street marches, using hashtags such as #FemaleStrike, #PowerUp and #38InternationalWomensDay to raise awareness of gender inequality.
In Bangkok, protesters called for improved labour protections amid the epidemic that has infected dozens in Thailand, and greater rights under a military-aligned government.
Organisers blamed virus fears for the fact that the turnout was lower than last year.
Hundreds of women and men rallied in the Philippine capital Manila, burning a giant effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte -- who they accuse of misogyny -- to mark the day.
"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.
A big crowd turned out in Melbourne to watch the women's Twenty20 World Cup final between India and Australia. US singer Katy Perry, wearing an outfit emblazoned with the female symbol, performed her hit single "Roar" ahead of the game.
Rallies were smaller than usual in virus-hit Europe.
On Sunday, topless Femen activists, wearing protective glasses and masks, gathered at Place de la Concorde in Paris to denounce "the patriarchal pandemic", despite the best efforts of police to control them.
"Who's doing the washing up?" they chanted. "We are making a revolution".
But rights groups and politicians denounced what they said was police violence at a women's march in Paris the night before, after scuffles broke out and police arrested nine people.
Paris mayor Paris Anne Hidalgo, currently seeking re-election, said she was shocked at the "unacceptable and incomprehensible" violence and expressed her solidarity with the demonstrators.
Some women tweeted pictures of marchers left battered and bruised, prompting Europe Ecology-The Greens party secretary Julien Bayou to blast what he termed "absolutely unjustifiable police violence".
Elsewhere, women also turned out in force in Iraq and Lebanon, while Mexico, which has long battled deep-rooted gender violence, was to stage rallies, notably in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Back in Europe, Italian President Sergio Mattarella recorded a video message with much of the country in coronavirus lockdown, regretting the need to avoid large-scale gatherings.
Instead, he elected to "express 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."
burs-rbu/cdw/jj
International Women’s Day: Best placards from annual March4Women rally in London
Sarah Young, The Independent•March 8, 2020
AFP via Getty Images
Since 2012, the March4Women rally has become one of the most significant events for championing gender equality and celebrating those who have worked to improve the lives of women and girls across the globe.
This year the rally, organised by the social justice organisation CARE International UK, was dedicated to the power and passion of the women and girls who are responding to the climate crisis and asking what can be done to support the environment.
On Sunday, the event started with an indoor rally at the Southbank Centre in London before the main procession began at Whitehall Place and moved on to Parliament Square.
Thousands of Londoners joined in on the march, including a host of famous faces such as singer Emeli Sande, Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs, Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer and model Lily Cole.
There were also appearances and speeches from poet Nikita Gill, 1917 star George MacKay, actor Bianca Jagger and women’s rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.
One of the highlights of the day was marvelling at the empowering messages plastered across the placards held by marchers as they stormed across London.
From demanding equal rights and an end to period poverty to asking “Does my brain look big in this?”, see the best placards from this year’s March4Women by scrolling through the gallery below.
To follow The Independent's live blog on International Women’s Day, click here.
To read more about International Women’s Day, click here.
Since 2012, the March4Women rally has become one of the most significant events for championing gender equality and celebrating those who have worked to improve the lives of women and girls across the globe.
This year the rally, organised by the social justice organisation CARE International UK, was dedicated to the power and passion of the women and girls who are responding to the climate crisis and asking what can be done to support the environment.
On Sunday, the event started with an indoor rally at the Southbank Centre in London before the main procession began at Whitehall Place and moved on to Parliament Square.
Thousands of Londoners joined in on the march, including a host of famous faces such as singer Emeli Sande, Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs, Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer and model Lily Cole.
There were also appearances and speeches from poet Nikita Gill, 1917 star George MacKay, actor Bianca Jagger and women’s rights activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu.
One of the highlights of the day was marvelling at the empowering messages plastered across the placards held by marchers as they stormed across London.
From demanding equal rights and an end to period poverty to asking “Does my brain look big in this?”, see the best placards from this year’s March4Women by scrolling through the gallery below.
To follow The Independent's live blog on International Women’s Day, click here.
To read more about International Women’s Day, click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment