On International Women’s Day, women in cities across Europe, Africa, and other parts of the world took to the streets demanding an end to inequality and gender-based violence. In the Asian part of Istanbul, a vibrant protest in Kadiköy brought together members of numerous women’s groups who listened to speeches, danced, and sang in the spring sunshine. Despite a large police presence, including officers in riot gear and a water cannon truck, the event remained peaceful. Protesters countered the government’s declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Family, becoming a call for women’s roles not to be confined to marriage and motherhood. They carried banners declaring “Family will not bind us to life” and “We will not be sacrificed to the family.”
Critics accuse the government of not only implementing restrictions on women’s rights but also failing to adequately address the issue of violence against women. In a controversial move, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan withdrew Turkey from the Istanbul Convention, which protects women from domestic violence. According to Turkey’s “We Will Stop Femicides” platform, 394 women have been killed by men in 2024. Yaz Gulgun, a 52-year-old protester, highlighted the various pressures women face, including at work, home, and from society, demanding a reduction in these pressures.
Similar protests occurred across Europe, with women fighting against violence, advocating for better access to gender-specific healthcare, equal pay, and addressing other gender disparities. In Poland, activists opened an abortion center across from the parliament building in Warsaw, symbolically challenging the country’s restrictive abortion laws. From Athens to Madrid, Paris, Munich, Zurich, Belgrade, and other cities across the continent, women marched demanding an end to second-class status in society, politics, family, and the workplace.
In Madrid, protesters used powerful imagery to challenge sexual violence, depicting Gisèle Pelicot, a woman drugged by her ex-husband in France over a decade ago for exploitation by others. This case has become emblematic of the struggle against sexual violence across Europe.
In the Nigerian capital of Lagos, thousands of women gathered at the Mobolaji Johnson stadium to celebrate their womanhood, many dressed in purple, the traditional color of the women’s liberation movement. In contrast, Russia’s celebrations took on a more official tone, with honor guard soldiers presenting yellow tulips to girls and women in St Petersburg. In Berlin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for intensified efforts to achieve equality, cautioning against any rollback of the progress made so far.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/08/international-womens-day-observed
