“#Be Bold for change” International Women’s Day Theme

Every year on March 8, International Women’s Day is celebrated to felicitate women and their achievements, an event held around the world to commemorate the struggle for Women’s rights.

Originally celebrated as International Working Women’s Day, on February 28, 1909, in New York in remembrance of a 1908 strike of the International Ladies’ Garment workers’ Union when 15, 000 workers, including several immigrants, marched through the city’s lower east side to demand equal social and political rights. The first International Women’s Day was held in 1914, on March 8.In 1996, the UN has assigned a theme to every International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is “Be bold for change”.

The day is now an official holiday in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Vietnam, Zambia, China, Madagascar, and Nepal.

Women’s rights across the world, different themes every year highlighted the atrocities that women are facing. In 2010, the International Women’s Day the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) brought to the world’s attention, the physical and mental hardships dislodged women endure, due to armed conflicts and humanitarian crisis.  In 2011, Former US President Barack Obama proclaimed the month of March as Women’s History month. In 2012, the UN theme for International Women’s Day 2012 was Empower Rural Women –End Hunger and Poverty. In 2013,  Women’s Day was “ a promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against Women”. In 2014,  the UN theme was “ Equality for Women is Progress for All”. In 2015,  “ Empowering Women and Empowering Humanity: Picture It”.  Hillary Clinton initiated the 100 Women Initiative Empowering Women and Girls through International exchanges on the ever of the IWD this year. Several programs to prevent rape and help rape survivors and those oppressed in conflict zones were also started across the world.