On March 6th I was one of an estimated 8,000 women who marched through central London, making a whole lot of noise and brandishing a variety of banners, flags, placards and whistles.
We took to the streets for the Million Women Rise march and rally, an event which celebrates International Women’s Day at the same time as speaking out against violence and discrimination against women across the globe.
It was incredibly empowering to march chanting and singing through London’s main shopping thoroughfares, packed with Saturday shoppers. Most stopped to watch, some clapped and cheered. As usual there was a wonderful atmosphere and women from numerous organisations and groups all over the country were among the crowd.
At a packed rally in Trafalgar Square we heard inspiring and emotional speeches from women representing organisations from CARE International to Mothers Against Violence and the Cassandra Learning Centre. We listened to women from many different backgrounds relating horrific tales of injustice and abuse in countries such as Iran and Uganda. While sobering to hear, it was important that the women were able to speak out, tell their stories and raise awareness.
Million Women Rise - organised by a coalition of representatives from the voluntary and community sector - is now in its third year. The organisation’s website states:
"We believe that every woman and child has a right to live free from violence and that ongoing violence devastates not only the lives of the individuals directly affected but also the communities of which they are part."
The coalition has also issued a statement of demands which urges the Government and other organisations to work towards combating misogyny, pledge support for women’s services, help victims of trafficking and abuse and recognise the role of war in perpetuating violence against women.
Over the past couple of weeks several newspapers have run features on the state of feminism today, to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the first National Women’s Liberation Movement march in London. Debates centred on the concept of International Women’s Day have surfaced and some people have doubted whether it still needs to be celebrated at all. As usual, some have used examples of ‘how far we’ve come’ to suggest that feminism is an outdated concept.
The speeches we heard at Million Women Rise, however, provided stark reminders of why the women’s movement is still important today. When we live relatively privileged lives, which we feel are full of opportunities and generally free from discrimination, it’s easy to get complacent and forget that the great gains made by feminists since the middle of the last century have not ‘liberated’ all women.
The suffering of women and girls all over the world comes as a direct consequence of them being seen as second-class citizens. Combined with discrimination on the basis of factors such as race, class and age this spells misery for many – or at the very least a gnawing dissatisfaction at the way we’re treated.
It’s therefore vital that the women’s movement continues to move forward and push for more change – whether that’s to save lives, empower women or simply create a more equal society which would benefit everyone rather than a privileged few.
In light of this it was good to hear some encouraging new from Downing Street this week. Coinciding with IWD, it was announced that the Government is making new plans to tackle violence against women overseas. Baroness Kinnock will lead the initiative, which sees sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a particular priority.
Here are some excellent photos of the march, as well videos.
Image via HannahNicklin's Flickr