PARIS — Tens of thousands took to the streets across the globe to mark International Women's Day on Sunday despite many events in Asia being canceled because of the new coronavirus outbreak, and attacks on women at some events in Europe and Asia.
Women were attacked at events in Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, police fired tear gas at women marching in Turkey and some politicians condemned what they said was police violence at a women's rally in Paris.
Some women who marched in ultra-conservative Pakistan came under attack with stones and sticks, reflecting the movement's challenge in a society where females are still put to death under ancient "honor" codes.
And in Kyrgyzstan, masked men attacked one rally in the capital Bishkek, tearing up placards carried by the participants, police arrested dozens of demonstrators.
A police spokesman said they were detained for their own safety.
In Turkey, Istanbul police fired tear gas to stop hundreds of women marching on the city's central avenue after the authorities banned the march for the second year running.
'UNACCEPTABLE VIOLENCE'
In France, topless Femen activists, wearing protective glasses and masks, gathered at Place de la Concorde in Paris to denounce "the patriarchal pandemic," despite the best efforts of police to control them.
"Who's doing the washing up?" they chanted. "We are making a revolution."
But rights groups and politicians denounced what they said was police violence at a women's march in Paris the night before, after scuffles broke out and police arrested nine people.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, currently seeking re-election, said she was shocked by the "unacceptable and incomprehensible" violence and expressed her solidarity with the demonstrators.
Some women tweeted pictures of marchers left battered and bruised, prompting Europe Ecology-The Greens party secretary Julien Bayou to blast what he termed "absolutely unjustifiable police violence".
In China, the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic, state broadcaster CCTV highlighted the work of female medical workers on the frontlines in the fight against the virus.
Despite growing fears over the worsening epidemic, marches went ahead in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
A women's marathon planned in India was postponed over virus concerns.
In South Korea, where more than 7,000 virus infections make it the hardest-hit country outside China, several events were cancelled.
"Although we can't be physically together, our minds for realizing gender equality are stronger than ever," the country's gender equality minister Lee Jung-Ok said in a video message.
'VIOLENCE AND POVERTY GETTING WORSE'
In Bangkok, protesters called for improved labor protections amid the epidemic that has infected dozens in Thailand, and greater rights under a military-aligned government.
Hundreds of women and men rallied in the Philippine capital Manila, burning a giant effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte -- whom they accuse of misogyny -- to mark the day.
"The violence and poverty among women are getting worse," Joms Salvador of women's group Gabriela told AFP.
Women also turned out in force in Iraq and Lebanon.
There were rallies too in Mexico, which has long battled deep-rooted violence against women. Women marched in the capital Mexico City, but also in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez, the scene of a string of murders of women.
Thousands marched in the Spanish capital Madrid, and thousands more in the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
In Peru, women demonstrated in the capital Lima calling for legal abortion, better working conditions and an end to violence against women.
In Sudan, women demonstrated outside the justice ministry in the capital Khartoum on Sunday, calling for an end to discriminatory laws.
In Brazil, several women marched against the policies of the country's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro.
"The government's policies have consisted of taking away the rights of women workers," 35-year-old Marcela Azevedo, with the group Women in Combat, told AFP.
Agence France-Presse
LONDON- In joyous celebrations and angry protests, women around the world came together in gatherings large and small on Thursday to mark International Women's Day with a call for gender equality.
The day had extra resonance this year after widespread sexual abuse accusations in Hollywood sparked the #MeToo movement which feminists hope signals one of the most significant shifts towards equal rights in decades.
In Saudi Arabia, a group of women whooped and cheered as they marked International Women's Day by exercising a recently acquired freedom: the right to go for a jog.
Wearing big smiles and traditional full-length robes adapted for sports, they pounded through sleepy alleys past puzzled shopkeepers in Jeddah's historic district.
Women in the deeply conservative kingdom are hopeful of huge changes. The government introduced physical education for girls last year and began licensing women's sports clubs, but Saudis are still coming around to women running in public.
"This is just the beginning of a revolution for women in Saudi Arabia. In jobs, in our lives, in society, everything is going to change for Saudi women," said one of the joggers, university student Sama Kinsara.
The biggest change yet will come in the summer when Saudi women will be allowed to drive.
In Spain, women went on a nationwide strike and held hundreds of rallies, closing many main roads and squares.
Their protests included bike rallies, marches, and midnight pot-banging sessions at which they chanted slogans such as "We continue to fight regardless of the cost!" and "Long live the women's struggle".
The two largest unions said around 6 million women took part. There was no official count.
PAIN AND SORROW
In Turkey's Hatay province, near the Syrian border, women wept as they sat on the ground, their hands bound with scarves, to show solidarity with women imprisoned in Syria. Others waved flags, chanting against President Bashar al-Assad: "Murderer Assad, evacuate the prisons!"
In Manila more than a thousand activists marched, calling President Rodrigo Duterte a "macho-fascist" for his lewd comments and treatment of his female critics.
In Iran, where there has been a spate of protests against mandatory Islamic dress, women and men gathered in front of the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, chanting slogans, videos on social media showed.
"No to gender inequality, No to discriminatory laws" the women chanted in a video.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI), a New York-based advocacy group, said at least 12 people were arrested. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.
Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on Wednesday that one of the girls who removed her veil in Tehran to protest against compulsory hijab has been sentenced to two years in jail. Dolatabadi said the woman, whom he did not name, was found guilty of "promoting corruption by removing her veil in public."
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday accused Iran's enemies of funding anti-hijab protests.
"As the result some girls were deceived and removed their veil here and there," he said. "But that’s a small issue. What I find worrying is that some of the elite are now questioning mandatory hijab."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
For Procter and Gamble's first woman and Asian global president for feminine care, "walking the talk" is the most effective way to simply get things done and inspire change, even more when one is in a position to do so.
In an email response to "The Boss" for her International Women's Day message, Fama Francisco shared how lucky she is to work for a company like P&G where all people are welcome, valued, and respected.
"When you’re a senior leader in a big international company, you have to hold yourself and your team accountable to make change happen and accelerate gender equality progress within the organization,"said Francisco.
She said P&G recently kicked off a new program in their global P&G Fem Care organization called "FemPowerment," which is designed to strengthen the metrics, policies, and practices across the organization to ensure women are getting the support they need to succeed.
"This includes reviewing and improving the pipeline of women for advancement and empowering them with a strong support system. Making this type of commitment to gender equality is essential. And we must walk the talk; putting specific policies and actions into practice is critical to remove barriers and ensure women are equipped to achieve their career goals," said Francisco.
The mother of two also shares her recollection meeting the former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, which Francisco described as a "truly unforgettable experience".
"She is very warm and genuine (and very tall!), so I immediately felt comfortable chatting with her," said Francisco.
"She’s a mother of two teenage daughters, and I have a teenage daughter so its always nice to have this in common. And hearing her talk, it quickly became obvious that Michelle has great sensitivity and heart for girls. She is very aware of the barriers that girls around the world face when it comes to things like education and equal opportunity. And when she gets behind a cause, she really puts her personal time in to champion that cause," she added.
Catch The Boss on Thursdays at 7:30pm on ANC, THE Filipino Channel, and iWantTV.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
