International Women’s Day has come a long way, yet liberation is still elusive

The United Nations International Women’s Day theme this year is Ending Impunity for Violence Against Women and Girls. Violence against women is a major cause of death and disability for women aged 16 to 44 years — as serious a threat as cancer and a greater cause of ill heath than traffic accidents and malaria combined, according to the UN.

Rep. Jan Shakowsky (D-Ill.) has submitted a resolution in the House (HR 149) with more than 80 cosponsors calling on the U.S. government to support the goals of International Women’s Day, including ending discrimination and violence against women and girls, and pursuing “policies that guarantee the basic human rights of women and girls both in the United States and in other countries.”

This April, the Women’s International Democratic Federation is holding its 14th Annual Congress in Venezuela. Women from around the world, including the U.S., will be organizing, communicating and mobilizing around the effects of free trade and wars on women, the struggle for a world free of violence against women and girls, and building greater economic and political rights for women.

A brief history

International Women’s Day — like May Day — is a world holiday tied to the struggle against oppression and exploitation. And it’s a day that was born out of class and social struggles in the U.S.

On March 8, 1857, women from textile and clothing factories in New York City staged a protest over poor working conditions and pay. Although attacked by the police and press for stepping out of traditional bounds, these garment workers continued their struggle and formed a union two years later.

Many such protests and organizing rallies took place in the following years, carried out by women workers and their allies calling for justice in the work place. On March 8, 1908, 20,000 to 30,000 women marched in the bitter cold through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

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