Uzma Zebrin Haque
(uzmazabrin@gmail.com)
On March
8, International Women’s Day is observed to reflect progress, demand gender
equality, and recognize the social, economic, and political achievements of
women. International Women’s Day has brought attention to issues affecting
women all over the world for more than a century. Everyone who believes that
women’s rights are human rights should celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March.
What color signifies International Women’s Day?
Purple color symbolizes International Women’s day. Historically, the combination of purple, green and white to symbolize women’s equality originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK in 1908. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope. And White represents purity, but it is no longer used due to ‘purity’ being a controversial concept. However , IWD(International Women’s Day)was started by labor movements in North America and Europe in the early 20th century. The earliest version was supposedly a “Women’s Day” held in New York City on February 28, 1909, and it was inspired by the universal female suffrage movement that had begun in New Zealand. This prompted German delegates to the International Socialist Women’s Conference in 1910 to propose the organization of “a special Women’s Day” annually. The following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women’s Day throughout Europe. IWD became a national holiday on March 8 after women gained the right to vote in Soviet Russia in 1917, which marked the beginning of the February Revolution. The socialist movement and communist nations then celebrated it on that day. Until the global feminist movement adopted it in the late 1960s, the holiday was associated with governments and movements of the far left. Following its adoption by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day became a well-known global holiday. International Women’s Day is celebrated in a variety of ways worldwide; The United Nations observes the holiday in connection with a particular issue, campaign, or theme in women’s rights. In some parts of the world, IWD still reflects its political origins, with protests and calls for radical change. It is a public holiday in several countries, and it is observed socially or locally in others to celebrate and promote the achievements of women. It is largely socio-cultural, and centered on a celebration of womanhood in other places, particularly in the West.
Yearly Commemmorations
2010
On the occasion of 2010 International Women’s Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) drew attention to the hardships of the displaced women. The displacement of populations is one of the gravest consequences of today’s armed conflicts. It affects women in a host of ways. It has been estimated that between 70 and 80% of all internally displaced persons are women and children.
2011
Though the celebration in the West was low, events took place in more than 100 countries on March 8, 2011, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. In the United States, President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be “Women’s History Month”, calling Americans to mark IWD by reflecting on “the extraordinary accomplishments of women” in shaping the country’s history.[11] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched the “100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges”, on the eve of IWD. In the run-up to 2011 International Women’s Day, the Red Cross called on States and other entities not to relent in their efforts to prevent rape and other forms of sexual violence that harm the lives and dignity of countless women in conflict zones around the world every year.
Australia issued an IWD 100th anniversary commemorative 20-cent coin.
In the context of the Egyptian revolution, in Tahrir Square, Cairo, hundreds of men came out not to support, but to harass the women who came out to stand up for their rights as the police and military stood by watching, doing nothing to stop the crowds of men.
2012
Oxfam America invited people to celebrate inspiring women in their lives by sending a free International Women’s Day e-Card or honoring a woman whose efforts had made a difference in the fight against hunger and poverty with Oxfam’s International Women’s Day award. On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2012, the ICRC called for more action to help the mothers and wives of people who have gone missing during armed conflict. The vast majority of people who go missing in connection with conflict are men. Also the anguish of not knowing what has happened to the missing husband or son, many of these women face economic and practical difficulties. The ICRC underlined the duty of parties to this conflict to search for the missing, and provide information to the families.
2013
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) drew attention to the plight of women in prison.
The theme for International Women’s Day 2013 was “A promise is a promise: time for action to end violence against women.”
It was reported that 70% of women worldwide experience some sort of physical or sexual violence in their life. Irina Bovoka, UNESCO Director General on International Women’s day 2013, stated that in order “to empower women and ensure equality, we must challenge every form of violence every time it occurs.” In view of the increase in violence against women and following the brutal attack on Malala Yousafzai in October 2012, the UN focused their attention on ending violence against women and made this the central theme for International Women’s Day 2013. UNESCO acknowledged that violence against young girls was one of the major reasons for girls not attending school and subsequently collaborated with governments around the globe to support women’s rights in providing a quality education in a safe environment.
For a more cultural and artistic celebration, UNESCO also held a concert in Paris as a “Tribute to Women in Music: from the romantic to the electronics”
2014
American singer Beyoncé posted an International Women’s Day video to her YouTube account. Throughout the video, her song “Flawless” plays, which includes a portion of the “We Should All Be Feminists” speech given by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
2015
Governments and activists around the world commemorated the 20th anniversary year of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, an historic roadmap that set the agenda for realizing women’s rights.
2016
The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, said: “On the occasion of International Women’s Day, I extend warm greetings and good wishes to the women of India and thank them for their contributions over the years in the building of our nation.” The ministry of women and child development announced the setting up of four more one-stop crisis centers on March 8, in addition to the eight already functioning across the country. Ahead of Women’s Day, the national carrier Air India operated what it claimed to be the world’s longest non-stop flight where the entire flight operations were handled by women, as part of International Women’s Day celebrations. The flight, from Delhi to San Francisco, covered a distance of around 14,500 kilometers in around 17 hours.
2017
In a message in support of International Women’s Day, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres commented on how women’s rights were being “reduced, restricted and reversed”. With men still in leadership positions and a widening economic gender gap, he called for change “by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world”.
2018
The UN theme for International Women’s Day was: “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”. Global marches and online campaigns such as ‘Me Too’ and ‘Times Up’, which originated in the United States but became popular globally, allowed many women from different parts of the world to confront injustice and speak out on issues such as sexual harassment and assault and the gender pay gap.
2019
The UN theme for International Women’s Day was: ‘Think equal, build smart, innovate for change’. The focus of the theme was on innovative ways in which to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women, particularly in the areas of social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure. The federal state of Berlin marked International Women’s Day as a public holiday for the first time.
2020
The UN theme for International Women’s Day was: ‘I am Generation Equality’: Realizing Women’s Rights’. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, street marches occurred in London, Paris, Madrid, Brussels, Moscow and other European cities. The Aurat March in Islamabad was marred by attacks from stone throwers, after a failed attempt to have it banned as un-Islamic. In Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, police detained dozens of marchers shortly after masked men reportedly attacked the march.
2021
The 2021 UN theme for the IWD was “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, highlighting the impact that girls and women worldwide had as health care workers, caregivers, innovators and community organizers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The hashtag theme that year was: #ChooseToChallenge.
2022
The 2022 UN theme for International Women’s Day is “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”, looking to highlight the contribution of women and girls around the globe, who participate in their communities promoting climate change adaptation, mitigation, and response, in order to build a more sustainable future for all.Aurora Ventures, a private company, promoted an alternative theme of #breakthebias with the color purple. This has been criticised as a corporate “hijack”.
Hence, in many parts of the world, men and women are expected to show their equality toward one another by giving flowers and gifts to their coworkers and loved ones, regardless of their legal status. It is also observed as the equivalent of Mother’s Day in some nations, such as Bulgaria and Romania. In the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, massive celebrations in the style of the Soviet Union were held annually. The holiday, which was generally regarded as one of the primary symbols of the previous regime, faded into obscurity following the fall of Communism. On the recommendation of the Social Democrats and Communists, the Parliament of the Czech Republic re-established International Women’s Day as an official “important day” in 2004.IWD is widely celebrated in France as Journée internationale des droits des femmes, which literally translates to “International Women’s Rights Day.”This has sparked some controversy because a large portion of the general public as well as members of the political right view the holiday as a remnant of the nation’s Communist past.
Beata Pozniak, an actress and human rights activist in the United States, collaborated with the Mayor of Los Angeles and the Governor of California to lobby members of Congress to propose the holiday’s official recognition. Beata Pozniak suggested that in February 1994, H. J. Res. Representative Maxine Waters and 79 cosponsors introduced House Bill 316 in an effort to declare March 8 as International Women’s Day. The bill was then referred to the House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, where it remained. This piece of legislation was not approved by either house of Congress.
In Pakistan, the first Aurat Marches were begun by women’s collectives in parallel with the Pakistani #MeToo movement on International Women’s Day. The first march was held on 8 March 2018 in Karachi. The Aurat March is now an annual socio-political demonstration in Pakistani cities such as Lahore, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Faisalabad, Multan, Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar to observe International Women’s Day.
The communist politician Teresa Mattei chose the mimosa in 1946 as the symbol of IWD[106] at the request of Luigi Longo. Mattei felt that the French symbols of IWD, violets and lilies of the valley, were too scarce and expensive to be used in poor, rural Italian areas, so she proposed the mimosa as an alternative. Men in Italy observe the holiday by giving women yellow mimosas.
Why do we need an International Women’s Day?
We need an International Women’s Day because there are fewer than 15% of countries in the world with female leaders. Women make up only 24% of senior managers, and 25% of businesses do not have any female senior managers at all. Women perform the lowest-paying jobs and earn less for the same duties. The gender pay gap is the name given to this disparity, and it is getting worse for young women in many countries, including the United States and Britain. Additionally, women are more likely to take care of the household and children. Women of color are more affected by all of these issues than white women are. Therefore, women also face significant disparities in healthcare and safety. Every day, approximately 830 women die during childbirth. Female murder also has some shocking statistics. The United Nations found that their partner or former partner killed 137 women every day. Over half of all female homicides worldwide are committed by the victim’s partner or family. Women are also more likely to be ignored by doctors when they complain of pain and serious health issues and are also sometimes ignored for Years.
The Earlier History of International Women’s Day
In 1975, the United Nations established International Women’s Day as a global holiday. The General Assembly then approved a resolution in December 1977 establishing a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace, which Member States could observe on any day of the year in accordance with their historical and cultural customs. However, International Women’s Day (IWD) dates back to the early 1900s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world marked by the rise of radical ideologies and exploding population growth. Women’s oppression and inequality were motivating women to become more vocal and active in campaigning for change, which was the result of unrest and critical debate among women. Then, in 1908, 15,000 women staged a march through New York City in support of voting rights, better pay, and shorter working hours. On February 28, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed nationwide in accordance with a declaration made by the Socialist Party of America. Until 1913, women celebrated NWD on the last Sunday in February. The United Nations’ first annual theme was “Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future.” In 1997, it was “Women at the Peace Table,” in 1998, it was “Women and Human Rights,” and in 1999, it was “World Free of Violence Against Women.”
Re-ignition of International Women’s Day
The Rebirth of International Women’s Day By the turn of the millennium, the majority of nations had little to celebrate on International Women’s Day. The world had changed, and feminism was no longer popular in many areas. To give International Women’s Day the respect it deserves and to increase public awareness, something had to be done. The launch of the internationalwomensday.com platform was made with the specific intention of reinvigorating the day, highlighting the accomplishments of women and continuing the call for faster gender parity.
2011 marked the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, with the first celebration taking place in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland in 1911. “Since 2014, the Union Government has made numerous efforts to address women’s issues in order to have a more comprehensive perspective on the situation.” The Indian government has attempted to promote women’s empowerment in a comprehensive manner that addresses five aspects of women’s security: Social security, financial security, future security through educational and financial programs, and last but not the least, women’s physical safety are all important components of social security. Through a slew of measures and initiatives such as Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2017, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana, National Nutrition Mission, Mission Indradhanush, Swachh Vidhyalaya Initiative, Swachh Bharat Mission, Triple Talaq Bill, Haj Without Mehram, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana, Stand Up India, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Death penalty to persons accused of heinous crime like rape, Anti-trafficking Bill amongst other initiatives have expanded the idea of women’s security to a more comprehensive security paradigm, where they feel safe, secure and free to pursue their dreams in India.
Therefore, make International Women’s Day your special day, and do everything in your power to truly make a difference for women.