Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the
occasion of International Women’s Day, 8 March 2013 On
International Women’s Day, we celebrate the strides that have
been made to advance women’s rights and the individual heroes,
girls and women, who are making history in societies across the
world. This is also a day to cast an objective eye on where we
stand and reflect on the obstacles that remain. Violence against
women is one of the most deadly and widespread violations of
women’s rights across the world. Violence takes many shapes --
physical, sexual, psychological and economic -- but the result
remains the same devastating violation of fundamental rights and
human dignity. There are concerted efforts at all levels to stop
this violence, but progress is haltingly slow. The brutal attack
on 9 October 2012 against Malala Yousafzai, a fourteen year old
girl, shot for claiming the right of girls to an education,
reminds us of the challenges we must overcome. This is why
UNESCO is working with