Join Women’s Marches on January 19th

On Saturday, January 19th, be part of a global movement expressing outrage at ongoing gender-based rights violations and demonstrate solidarity with women human rights defenders by taking part in a Women’s March in your community.

Get involved!

1. FIND AN EVENT

  • Find an event in or near your community.

 

2. MARCH

  • March on  your own, with friends/family/colleagues, or organize an Amnesty marching contingent.
  • Print out Amnesty signs or make your own.
  • Consider having a sign-making party a few days before the march. Provide poster board, markers, and brainstorm some pithy gender rights slogans!
  • Here are some signs to download and print out (tip: these signs can be printed out in large format on choroplast at a local print shop if you have enough lead time and a printing budget):
  • Bring noise-makers or consider inviting a drummer to join your marching contingent. Brainstorm a few marching chants. Here are some examples:
    • Women’s rights are human rights! LGBTI rights are human rights!
    • What do we want? Gender justice! When do we want it? Now!
    • Hey hey! Ho ho! Gender violence has got to go!
    • 1, 2, 3, 4 What are we fighting for? 5, 6, 7, 8 Women’s lives are what’s at stake!
    • 1, 2, 3, 4 We won’t take it anymore! 5, 6, 7, 8 No more violence! No more hate!
    • Women, united, will never be defeated!
    • Tell me what a feminist looks like! This is what a feminist looks like!
    • Wherever we wear, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no!
  • Make sure to dress for the weather, and bring water, snacks, and a fully charged cell phone.
  • See if there’s something in particular that event organizers want you to wear or bring. For example, in Ottawa marchers are asked to wear a red scarf in solidarity with the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

 

3. SOCIAL MEDIA

  • Take lots of photos, and please send your favorites to Amnesty and post them on social media using hashtags #WomensMarchCanada and tagging @AmnestyNow

 

4. GATHER PETITION SIGNATURES

  • There’s always plenty of time before and after marching to walk around the crowd, talk to participants, and gather petition signatures. This is a great way to promote the cases of women human rights defenders whose cases we featured in last month’s global Write for Rights letter-writing marathon.
  • Bring clipboards, petitions, pens, and pencils (pencils are great for cold climates where pen ink may freeze). Bring flyers/brochures/sign-up sheets with information about how to get involved with Amnesty in your community.

 

5. TABLE

  • Many marches have a community festival or activist fair at the end of the marching route. Consider tabling at events. This is a great way to continue promoting cases of women human rights defenders who were featured in last month’s global Write for Rights letter-writing marathon!
  • Download, print, and bring these petitions with you >> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PETITIONS

 

Learn more about Amnesty International’s campaigning in support of women’s rights.

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