International Women's Day (8 March 2007)

International Women's Day, 8 March, was marked for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland in 1911. As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.

In December 1977 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace. International Women's Day is celebrated to recognise that peace and social progress require the active participation and equality of women, and to acknowledge the contribution of women to international peace and security. It is an occasion to review how far women have come in their struggle for equality, peace and development.

This year's theme is "Ending Impunity for Violence against Women."

News

Egypt: First group of female judges appointed(23.03.07)
Sri Lanka: Kishali Pinto-Jayawardene awarded International Woman of Courage 2007(12.03.07)
International Women's Day: Get all girls into school and give them a fighting chance against HIV(8.03.07)
Women displaced by war deserve special attention(7.03.07)
Europe is not meeting its own target on gender equality in public life(7.03.07)
Despite progress, girls subjected to violence and discrimination(6.03.07)
UNFPA warns of new trends in gemale genital mutilation(5.02.07)
Iran: Increasing attacks on women human rights defenders(30.01.07)
UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women to visit Algeria(18.01.07)
Pakistan: Proposed reforms to Hudood laws fall short(6.09.06)
Actions to challenge women's rights abuses in the Czech Republic(15.08.06)
Sierra Leone: Women need rights and protection(1.08.06)
Afghanistan: Vice and virtue department could return(18.07.06)
UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women concludes visit to Sweden(22.06.06)
Iran: Police assault women's rights demonstrators(15.06.06)

Selected learning materials

International Women's Day
United Nations Cyberschoolbus curriculum about the origins of International Women's Day with focus on women, peace and politics. Ideal for use in classrooms. Accompanied by a teacher's guide.

Between their Stories and Our Realities: A manual for seminars and workshops about CEDAW
This manual is designed to accompany eight videos ("Women Hold Up the Sky") that illustrate different types of discrimination and human rights violations against women around the world. Manual and videos are intended as learning tools in seminars or workshops about women's rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Other materials about women's human rights in HREA's on-line Library

Useful Links

International Women's Day 2007 (United Nations)

International treaties on women's human rights:
- UN Convention on the Political Rights of Women (1952)
- UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW (1979)
- UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (1993)

Human Rights of Women: A Collection of International and Regional Normative Instruments (by UNESCO)

Human Rights Watch World Report 2002: Women's Human Rights

Progress of the World's Women 2005

Beijing +10

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

Other International Days