International Women's Day

I would like to wish "Happy International Women's Day" for all the women out there. International Women's Day has become a day of recognition of women's struggles, a celebration of women's successes, and a statement of a definitive stance against violence against women.

Actually, I got to know about this special day for women from the radio this morning. So sad.... I as a woman does not aware about the existence of International Women's Day.... I feel in Malaysia there is not much events organised for this day... Or is it due to my ignorance to my surrounding...

I found out there is one website dedicated for International Women's Day. Please click here for details. Out of 743 International Women's Day events worldwide listed in this website, only two events listed for Malaysia:

1. 
   
   International Women's Day organised by KANITA in Penang
2. 
   
   SWEPA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - " WOMEN IN ASEAN 2020" organised by Swepa in Sabah. 

After digging more info in the net, I found out that Unicef and 3R  are organising an event related to this special day on 13th March. Now the list of events is growing, and I don't think I can list down all in this blog.

I would like to share an excerpt from article about International Women's Day, written by Kevin Lynch, Mirror.co.uk.

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1. While International Women's Day is now largely aimed at inspiring women across the world and celebrating their achievements, its roots are in movements campaigning for better pay and voting rights.

2. The first National Women’s Day was marked on 28 February 1909 in the United States after a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.

3. During an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen the following year, Clara Zetkin, leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany, suggested the idea of an International Women's Day.

She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day. The idea was met with unanimous approval.

4. 1911 saw IWD honoured for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19. Over a million people attended rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

5. On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. In 1965, it was declared as a non working day in the USSR.

6. International Women's Day was transferred to 8 March that same year and has remained the global date for the event ever since.

7. In 1975, the United Nations gave official sanction to International Women's Day and began sponsoring it.

8. The United States now designates the whole month of March as 'Women's History Month'.

9. IWD is also an official holiday in 15 countries including China, Ukraine and Vietnam.

10. Over the past few years Google have marked the occasion with a “Google Doodle”, changing their logo on the search engine’s homepage to reflect the occasion. Sky News are marking today's 100th International Women's Day with an all female line-up.

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Once again, Happy International Women's Day