Let’s Celebrate! Today is International Women’s Day
Well, we should be celebrating women every single day, and I think you will agree. Especially after watching Every Woman Is Divine (We are! We Are!). But also, it’s a day of awareness. According to the United Nations website,
- Up to 50% of sexual assaults are committed against girls under the age of 16.
- Globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime.
- Up to 70% of women in the world report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime.
- Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18…
There are many women fighting for women’s rights all over the world. Here some of the most inspiring, brilliant women you should get to know.
Gloria Steinem (America)
I mean, obvs. Where do you begin? Start here.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Pakistan)
Sharmeen is a filmmaker from Pakistan; she won the country’s first Oscar for her documentary, Saving Face. But that’s not the reason to watch the doc; to know why and to learn more about the work she is doing, go here.
Pussy Riot (Russia)
Like Bikini Kill, Pussy Riot are a feminist punk rock band. To find out why they’re wearing balaclavas, go here.
Tawakkul Karman (Yemen)
In 2011, Tawakkul was the first woman from Yemen to win the Nobel Prize for Peace “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.” To learn more about she is doing today, go here.
Eve Ensler (America)
Have you heard of the Vagina Monologues? Eve wrote the powerful play after she’d interviewed tons of women about, among other things, violence against women. Later, she began the global movement, V-Day, devoted to putting an end to violence against women. Read more about Eve here.
Waris Dirie (Austria)
Waris was born in Somalia, and got the heck out of there when she was 13. In 2004, she founded the Desert Flower Organization, devoted to fighting against female genital mutilation. Read her blog here.
I’ve only scratched the surface, there are so many more women to celebrate! For more information on International Women’s day, go here and here.
