March 8th marked the celebration of women's rights and a day that sparkled with the colours of Holi. International Women's Day brought together women from all over the world, united in their efforts to achieve gender equality and celebrate their strides so far. The festival of Holi added an extra touch of joy to the day as women splashed each other with colours and danced to the beat of drums. The vibrant colours symbolized the diversity and unity of womanhood, while the festivities were a reminder of the resilience and strength of women throughout history. As women celebrated their achievements and contributions to society, International Women's Day and Holi came together to create a beautiful fusion of culture and activism.
So, let us stride through the global celebration of international women's day with a tint of Holi celebration.
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In India, the colourful festival of Holi aligned with the celebration of international women's day, doubling the enthusiasm and excitement in the country. The Holi colours covered the sky in a plethora of colours. Kids were immersed in so many colours that few new colours could be driven out of their clothes. While the entire nation was immersed in a colourful pallet of Holi colours, Asia's first women loco-pilot- Surkha Yadav- was busy navigating Deccan Queen Express-Mumbai to Pune local train with all female staff on board.
To mark the celebration, another local train CSMT-Kalyan Ladies Special Local train from Mumbai was run by Asia's first motorhome- Mumtaz kazi- accompanied by all-female staff on the train.
Apart from this, many railway stations, such as Matunga railway station, are also entirely operated by women since 2017. They made it to the Limca book of records- an Indian equivalent of the Guinness book of world records- in 2018. To add to the celebration, women on the Mumbai train also showcased their flexibility by performing yoga.
The effort of the Indian railway was an evident gesture of respect and appreciation toward women's empowerment.
However, not every woman worldwide is fortunate enough to be appreciated today. Countless women from Pakistan and Kabul took to the streets to showcase their agitation against their miserable conditions.
In Pakistan, the rally "Aurat March" marked the presence of more than 2,000 women marching across the streets of Lahore, a city in Pakistan. Other than this, "Hijab marches", which included more-conservative women groups, were also witnessed in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore.
In other news from Pakistan's neighbouring country, Afghanistan, protests were held to mark the oppression the women under Taliban reign in the nation are going through.
Similar saddening instances were noticed in London for the women in Iran, where innocent school girls were allegedly poisoned to refrain them from going to school. The photo is enough to express the grave pain the incident has brought upon women worldwide.
In a similar rally from London, a woman is seen holding a sign "pay me what you owe me", depicting the gender wage gap in the market.
To provide equality to women in the digital arena and physical space, United Nations hosted an event named DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. The event is a subsidiary of the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), "Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls".
As per the UN, 73% of women have faced some form of digital violence in their work, and only 22% of women make up the digital AI workforce globally.
The event united innovators, entrepreneurs and stakeholders in digitizing the tools necessary to protect women digitally and further facilitate and enhance their reach to digital tools.
The participants in the meeting included:
Germany has pledged 26 million Euros to UN women on international women's day.
Brazil celebrated international women's day like no other. On this historic day, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced countrywide equal pay for men and women.
'All the employees, be they men or women, shall be paid equally for the same work. Furthermore, any company found guilty of wage discrimination shall be imposed hefty fines", the President said.
In other news, the Christ of redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was illuminated pink for the International women's day celebration.
This year, international women's day was all about equality. Whether in the digital arena or wages, women worldwide wish to be treated equally to men.
Emirates delved into the same theme on this international women's day, with 41% of its workforce being women. The company is best known internationally for the working conditions for UAE women. The company brings the hidden issues of gender inequality to the table by inviting open discussions and bringing the UAE Gender Balance Council's pledge, which aims to highlight the gender pay gap in the industry.
While the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, praised women for their unparallel determination and sovereignty towards the country, the President of the US- Joe Biden, marked the importance of women in everyday life, stating that women and girls are an essential part of success and progress. Furthermore, the first lady of the US, Jill Biden, hosted "the international women of courage awards" at the white house on international women's day.
International women's day is for celebrating women, but the traditional ritual of protesting for women's equality does not seem to vanish anytime soon.
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