International Women’s Day rallies seek equal rights, focus on Iran, Afghanistan
- Many protests included calls for solidarity with women in Iran and Afghanistan where their freedoms have faced especially hard blows in the past year
- ‘Safe, respected, equal’, demanded Melbourne activists, while in Manila, demonstrators scuffled with police blocking their protest
Rallies marking International Women’s Day took place around the world on Wednesday after a year in which girls in Afghanistan were banned from education, mass women’s rights protests erupted in Iran and a landmark US abortion ruling was overturned.
Demonstrations were held in cities across the globe with more planned in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad, Karachi and Istanbul and many other cities.
In Manila, activists calling for equal rights and better wages scuffled with police blocking their protest. “Girls just want to have fun … damental rights”, read one poster.
In Melbourne, demonstrators demanded equal pay and better safety for women. “Safe, respected, equal,” said one banner at the march. An Iranian contingent was also present.
Many protests included calls for solidarity with women in Iran and Afghanistan where their freedoms have faced especially hard blows in the past year.
“Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding women’s rights, and it has been distressing to witness their methodical, deliberate, and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls out of the public sphere,” said Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (Unama).
