Rallies marking International Women’s Day took place around the world on Wednesday after a year in which girls in Afghanistan were banned from education, mass women’s rights protests erupted in Iran and a landmark US abortion ruling was overturned.

Demonstrations were held in Paris, Berlin, Beirut, Jakarta, Singapore and more cities around the world.

Activists of Aurat March hold placards during a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Lahore on March 8. — AFP
Activists of Aurat March hold placards during a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Lahore on March 8. — AFP
Activists of Aurat March hold placards as they chant slogans during a demonstration rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Islamabad on March 8. — AFP
Activists of Aurat March hold placards as they chant slogans during a demonstration rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Islamabad on March 8. — AFP
Women participate in the Aurat Azadi March to mark International Women’s Day at Thandi Sarak, Hyderabad, March 8. — Umair Ali
Women participate in the Aurat Azadi March to mark International Women’s Day at Thandi Sarak, Hyderabad, March 8. — Umair Ali
Activists of Aurat March take part in a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Multan on March 8. — AFP
Activists of Aurat March take part in a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Multan on March 8. — AFP
Women guides hold placards with a design of their uniform and a message (top) reading “Happy Women’s Day” during a gathering to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Bharat Scouts and Guides training centre in Hyderabad, India on March 8. — AFP
Women guides hold placards with a design of their uniform and a message (top) reading “Happy Women’s Day” during a gathering to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Bharat Scouts and Guides training centre in Hyderabad, India on March 8. — AFP
A yoga instructor leads a yoga class for commuters travelling on a women’s carriage of a local train on the occasion of International Women’s Day, in Mumbai, India on March 8. — AFP
A yoga instructor leads a yoga class for commuters travelling on a women’s carriage of a local train on the occasion of International Women’s Day, in Mumbai, India on March 8. — AFP
People take part in a Women’s Day protest with the theme “Women united against injustice” in Valletta, Malta, March 8. — Reuters
People take part in a Women’s Day protest with the theme “Women united against injustice” in Valletta, Malta, March 8. — Reuters
Demonstrators lie in the street to symbolise the people who drowned in a migrant shipwreck near Crotone, during an International Women’s Day rally, as women strike to demand the end to domestic and racist violence, wars and the country’s prevailing “macho” culture, in Rome, Italy, March 8. — Reuters
Demonstrators lie in the street to symbolise the people who drowned in a migrant shipwreck near Crotone, during an International Women’s Day rally, as women strike to demand the end to domestic and racist violence, wars and the country’s prevailing “macho” culture, in Rome, Italy, March 8. — Reuters
Delegates attending an “Innovation and technology for gender equality - UN observance of International Women’s Day” event pose for photos at UN headquarters in New York, US on March 8. — AFP
Delegates attending an “Innovation and technology for gender equality - UN observance of International Women’s Day” event pose for photos at UN headquarters in New York, US on March 8. — AFP
Delegates attending an “Innovation and technology for gender equality - UN observance of International Women’s Day” event pose for photos at UN headquarters in New York, US on March 8. — AFP
Delegates attending an “Innovation and technology for gender equality - UN observance of International Women’s Day” event pose for photos at UN headquarters in New York, US on March 8. — AFP
Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women’s Day, in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 8. — AFP
Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women’s Day, in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 8. — AFP
Palestinian woman ride their bicycles at Gaza’s Yarmouk Stadium to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. — AFP
Palestinian woman ride their bicycles at Gaza’s Yarmouk Stadium to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. — AFP
A group of protesters dance during a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Bordeaux, France on March 8. — AFP
A group of protesters dance during a rally to mark the International Women’s Day in Bordeaux, France on March 8. — AFP

Header image: Women participate in the Aurat Azadi March to mark International Women’s Day at Thandi Sarak, Hyderabad, March 8. — Umair Ali



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