International Women’s Rights Day
From the Philippines to Pakistan, thousands of people demonstrated this Sunday (8) in Asia, for International Women’s Rights Day, although several marches were canceled due to fear of the coronavirus.
In China, where the epidemic caused more than 3,500 deaths worldwide, the public broadcaster decided to value the work of women on the front lines of the fight against Covid-19.
There were also marches in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Hundreds of people also gathered in Lahore, in north-eastern Pakistan.
In Kyrgyzstan, however, a small country in Central Asia, local police arrested dozens of women who demonstrated against gender-based violence after being attacked by masked men.
The police told AFP that the protesters were arrested for their own safety and for not warning of the demonstration, as a court banned settlements in the capital Bishkek due to the coronavirus. The women were later released, and three of their attackers were arrested.
In India, an all-female marathon scheduled has been canceled. In South Korea, the country with the highest number of cases after China, several events have also been canceled due to the epidemic.
“Although we cannot be physically together, our determination to achieve equality between men and women is stronger than ever,” said Equality Minister Lee Jung-Ok in a video.
Several feminist organizations have opted for online actions rather than physical agglomerations, sharing the hashtags #FemaleStrike, #PowerUp or # 38InternationalWomensDay to try to raise awareness of the cause of equality between men and women.
In Bangkok, protesters called for better workplace protection to combat the epidemic. For fear of the virus, the number of people on the streets was lower than last year.
Hundreds of men and women gathered in Manila, where they even burned the image of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, accused of misogyny.
“Poverty and violence against women are increasingly serious,” Joms Salvador, of the feminist movement Gabriela, told AFP.
In Jakarta, some 600 people, some painted in the colors of the rainbow, have asked the government to repeal laws deemed discriminatory and adopt laws against sexual violence.