Hello world!
April 30, 2020
Happy International Women’s Day from the Bob Mann Foundation!
8th of March 2024 marks the ‘International Women’s Day’!
What is the origin of International Women’s Day? One may ask;
The inception of International Women’s Day (IWD) can be traced back to the labour movement. Its origins date to 1908 when 15,000 women staged a march in New York City advocating for reduced working hours, improved wages, and the right to vote. Following this, the Socialist Party of America officially proclaimed the first National Woman’s Day in 1909.
Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and champion of women’s rights, proposed the idea to establish International Women’s Day as a global event. In 1910, she presented this concept at the International Conference of Working Women held in Copenhagen. The 100 women from 17 countries attending the conference unanimously supported her suggestion.
The first International Women’s Day was observed in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. The United Nations (UN) began officially recognizing the event in 1975. The first theme adopted by the UN in 1996 was “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future.”
The significance of 8th of March, for it to be chosen as the International Women’s day:
Clara Zetkin’s initial concept for an international celebration did not specify a particular day. The selection of March 8th as the date for International Women’s Day resulted from events in Russia during a wartime strike in 1917. Russian women, demanding “bread and peace,” initiated the strike on February 23rd, according to the Julian calendar then in use in Russia.
Four days into the strike, the tsar abdicated, and the provisional government granted women the right to vote. When converted to the Gregorian calendar, widely used in the rest of the world, the strike’s starting date corresponds to March 8th. This historical context led to the adoption of March 8th as the official date for International Women’s Day.
Why do campaigners argue that International Women’s Day is needed?
Organizers state that the day offers a chance to celebrate advancements made while also shedding light on the decline of women’s rights globally. Additionally, it aims to bring attention to the impact of gender violence and abuse. In the past year, women in the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iran, and Ukraine have been actively advocating for their rights amidst conflict and violence.
UN experts report receiving credible allegations of human rights violations against women and girls in Gaza, including instances of rape by Israeli forces. The BBC has also uncovered evidence of rape, sexual violence, and mutilation against Israeli women during the Hamas attacks on October 7.
Why do people wear the colour purple for International Women’s Day?
The International Women’s Day website designates purple, green, and white as the official colors of IWD. According to the site, purple embodies the values of justice and dignity, green symbolizes hope, and white represents purity, although acknowledging that the concept of purity can be controversial.
