Women Make History On 8 March 1857, women garment workers in New
York City, USA, marched and picketed, demanding improved working
conditions, a 10-hour day and equal rights to men. Their ranks
were broken by the police. Fifty-one years later, on 8 March
1908, 15,000 New York women garment workers marched again, this
time demanding the vote and an end to sweatshops and child
labour. International Women's Day is marked on this date by
women's groups around the world. It is commemorated at the UN
and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. The
landscape for women's rights has changed dramatically over the
past century. In many countries, women are active participants
in the political process and have made significant strides
towards economic equality. Globally, there are legally binding
agreements to protect and promote women’s rights. While women
make history, they do so in circumstances they have neither
chosen nor created. Women face heightened levels of sexual
violence in times of conflict, in