Women rally across the world despite coronavirus restrictions

International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 to highlight the struggles of women around the world. Thousands of women across the globe took part in annual marches and protests to mark International Women’s Day, in a muted affair due to restrictions on large gatherings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “We are facing a virus far deadlier than COVID and it is the rotten, anti-people, pro-foreign interest, and macho-fascist presidency,” said Joms Salvador, secretary general of Gabriela, a prominent women’s organisation in the Philippines. “Spain can’t continue to be built with women in the margins, with a few that break glass ceilings while the most vulnerable continue on sticky floors,” said Equality Minister Irene Montero. “These global trends damage all of us because we know that governments, economies, and communities are stronger when they include the full participation of women – no country can recover from this pandemic if it leaves half of its population behind.” In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined the importance of women in society and said his country will undertake new steps to combat violence against women and improve their social and economic status.