International Women's day

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8^th March every year. It is celebrated worldwide commemorating the movements for women rights and to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements. International women’s day is an opportunity for all of us to transform women lives into action to empower women lives in all areas be it urban or rural and to celebrate the activists who work to claim women’s right, their equality and realise their full potential.

A woman plays various roles with love and enthusiasm. A woman can be a Mother, a Sister, a Daughter, or a Wife, plays her role efficiently and takes forward the existence of mankind in a smoother better way. The inner strength of a woman is the most beautiful thing in nature.  She is the one who gives life to a life. It’s really essential that we encourage and help her. International Women’s Day is one such occasion that gives an opportunity to celebrate for equality and upliftment of women.

The celebration of first women’s day starts in the early 1990’s. The first observation of women’s day was held on February 28, 1910, in New York. March 8 was suggested by 1910 International Women’s Conference to become an “INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’s DAY”. After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a National holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by social movements and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the UNITED NATIONS. The United Nations started celebrating International Women’s Day in the International Women’s Year, 1975. In 1977, United Nations General Assembly invited members states to proclaim March 8 as the United Nations Day for women’s right and World Peace.

Since then March 8 is been celebrated with great enthusiasm all over the world by mass rallies, marches, performances and events. This day brings together Global Governments, Women’s Organisations, NGO’s and all types of Public and Private Organisations together.

It is great to have such a day like Women’s Day in especially in a country like ours that has been spoiled by many atrocities against women like dowry, rape, female infanticide, sexual exploitation at the workplace and many more. A celebration of women’s day helps towards upliftment and encourages them to stand up for such ill acts. Many public-private organisations participate in TV shows, seminars and documentaries on causes above mentioned.  In India, organisations are working towards girl child education, eradication of dowry and their upliftment. Plays are organised on real incidents of assaults and atrocities on women. Such events give women opportunities to learn self-defence techniques and experiences on how to deal such situations in life and get over it.

What makes International Women’s Day successful are collective actions for driving gender equality. A world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist GLORIA STEINEM once explained: “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who cares about human rights”.

People around the world are making efforts for a future that is more equal. There are campaigns around the world working on the big issues and generating equality like #MeToo in the United States of America. In other countries protesting against sexual harassment in public or in the workplace and also violence, campaigns such as #YoTambein in Mexico, Spain and South America.  #QuellaVoltaChe in Italy. #BalanceTonPorc in France and #Ana_kaman in Arab States. There are many more such campaigns which are working for eliminating the gender difference and for equal rights and representation of women in the world whether being in urban or in rural areas.

Issues ranging from sexual harassment to female infanticide, dowry, are all needed to be removed from society. These ill practices are illegal and need to be completely eliminated from society. Also, equal pay to women in the workplace and equal political representation must be equally provided for women. Women have been given reservations in various sectors by the government.

To fulfil the goals of Sustainable Development and to bring it into reality by leaving no one behind, it needs actions in areas where there are fewer standards of living, violence, and all types of harmful practices. There needs to be equal access to land and other productive assets, food security, education, reproductive health and rights. The women organisations have enormous potential to claim equal rights and improve their livelihood. We are aware of the fact that gender parity won’t happen overnight, but with continuous effort, the woman across the world are making positive gains with time. These movements are growing globally and very strongly.