On International Women’s Day 2025, join Amnesty International and take action to uphold women’s rights in countries worldwide.
People holding Palestinian flags and portraits of Palestinian women attend Toronto’s annual International Women’s Day (IWD) march on March 2, 2024, in Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It’s an annual global day that recognizes and celebrates women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements.
But International Women’s Day is more important than ever before. Last year, there were alarming assaults on the rights of women in Canada and around the world. Legal protections were also dismantled, and women worldwide faced unprecedented risk.
Achieving gender equality and protecting women’s rights is crucial. Therefore, governments must decisively reverse these widening economic inequalities and protect women’s rights.
On International Women’s Day 2025, join Amnesty International and take action to uphold women’s rights in countries worldwide.
Join members of Amnesty International Canada’s Gender Rights Specialized Team for the Toronto International Women’s Day (IWD) rally and march on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Everyone is welcome!
11am – Rally
OISE Auditorium (near St. George subway station)
1pm – March
We will meet outside OISE at 11am, so please look out for Amnesty banners and signs. Between 11am–1pm we will gather signatures on petitions, after which we will join in the march.
International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate our collective efforts as women and to remind us that there is still much work to be done to achieve gender equality.
The world’s crises do not impact equally, let alone fairly. The disproportionate impacts on women’s and girls’ rights are well-documented yet still neglected when not ignored outright.
The past four years – dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic – had a disproportionate impact on women. Domestic violence and sexual assault increased, job insecurity for women worsened, access to sexual and reproductive health services eroded, and girls’ enrolment in schools reduced dramatically in many places.
In many countries, those who are already the most marginalized as a result of intersecting social identities, such as gender, race, disability, and socio-economic status, are also the hardest hit. During the pandemic, government decisions worsened the gender equality of women in Canada and countries worldwide.
This means that we must increase our efforts in achieving gender equality. We must also make sure that women, girls, and gender-diverse people are not left behind in this post-pandemic era.
Image right: Gisele Pelicot leaving the Avignon courthouse on December 16, 2024, after hearing the defence’s final plea at the trial of her former partner Dominique Pelicot accused of drugging her for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home. (Photo by CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Image below: Gisele Pelicot leaving the Avignon courthouse on December 16, 2024, after hearing the defence’s final plea at the trial of her former partner Dominique Pelicot accused of drugging her for nearly ten years and inviting strangers to rape her at their home. (Photo by CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images)
Women’s march organized by the March 8 Women’s Platform in Kadıköy, ahead of International Women’s Day, on March 3, 2024, in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Sercan Ozkurnazli via Getty Images)
A woman shouts during a protest against gender-based violence on November 25, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. The demonstrations coincided with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. (Photo by Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images)
Women in countries worldwide right now are imprisoned or targeted with harassment and violence just for practicing their rights.
Those rights are defined by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the following:
People holding Palestinian flags and portraits of Palestinian women attend Toronto’s annual International Women’s Day march on March 2, 2024, in Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Therefore, International Women’s Day 2025 is the perfect time to stand up for women’s rights. So here’s how women’s rights were under attack in many countries in the past year. Plus, find some ideas of how you can help.
Beyond Roe Coalition and MassNOW rally on Boston Common in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade in Boston on June 24, 2022. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
As we mark International Women’s Day, Black, Indigenous, and racialized women in public-facing professions are increasingly targets of hate. In Canada, politicians, activists, defenders and journalists face daily discrimination, harassment, violence and hate speech. This includes vandalism, hate mail, trolling, death threats and physical violence.
In 2022, women politicians and journalists faced violence and threats in Canada. For example, the constituency office of Toronto MPP Jill Andrew was vandalized. Racialized women on the campaign trail also were harassed. Then, the Canadian Association of Journalists wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau to draw attention to the “targeted, vile threats of violence” against women journalists.
A woman wearing a purple handkerchief shouts during an abortion rights protest on September 28, 2024 in Madrid, Spain. On the Global Day of Action for the decriminalization of abortion, a demonstration was held in Madrid in favour of free abortion care in the Public Health system. (Photo by Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images)
In February 2023, the office of Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General Mary May Simon closed, commenting on its social media accounts. A statement posted to the Governor General’s Twitter account explained the decision. “In recent months, we have witnessed an increase in abusive, misogynistic and racist engagement on social media and online platforms,” the statement said, “including a greater number of violent threats.”
When they attack us, they’re saying we don’t belong there. They’re trying to shut us down, intimidate us, silence us, or distract us so that we’re not dealing with the real issues we want to deal with. That’s why a lot of them do it. It’s because they really don’t think that a Black woman belongs in these spaces.
The Cyber Activist
Liz Fong-Jones and a dozen volunteers spent thousands of hours trying to make sure the anti-trans hate site Kiwi Farms stayed offline. (Photo by Jackie Dives for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Liz Fong-Jones is a Vancouver-based developer, engineer, labour and ethics organizer, and advocate for trans rights. In 2022, she and a dozen volunteers spent thousands of hours successfully forcing Kiwi Farms, an online hate-speech forum, offline multiple times. Now, she’s the target of transphobia, racism, harassment, and threats of sexual violence by the website’s supporters.
Liz’s experiences shed light on the broader issue of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which includes cyberbullying, doxing, swatting, and more. Online violence disproportionately creates a digital environment of fear and intimidation, especially for Indigenous, Black and racialized women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities.
Read more about Amnesty International Canada’s work on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
Women and girls were at the forefront of the popular #WomanLifeFreedom uprising in 2022, challenging decades of gender-based discrimination and violence. They continue to defy discriminatory and degrading compulsory veiling laws that result in daily harassment and violence by state and non-state actors, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment, and denial of access to education, employment and public spaces.
Their agency follows a long tradition of women human rights defenders in Iran challenging a system determined to treat them as second-class citizens.
Iranian authorities are desperately trying to reassert their dominance and power over those who dare to stand up against decades of oppression and inequality. The past year has seen a surge in executions and the use of the death penalty as a tool of political repression. The international community must do more to hold Iranian authorities genuinely accountable for ongoing and grave human rights violations.
Kurdish humanitarian aid worker Pakhshan Azizi, Kurdish dissident Verisheh Moradi and human rights defender Sharifeh Mohammadi are the only known women currently under sentence of death after convictions for politically-motivated offenses in Iran. They were convicted and sentenced in separate cases following grossly unfair trials before Revolutionary Courts. Pakhshan Azizi is at imminent risk of execution.
Take action to stop their executions. Join the webinar on March 8: Women and the abolition of the death penalty.
Woman with an X on their mouth during the protest in honour of the lives of Iranian Women on December 17, 2022 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Stefano Guidi/Getty Images)
Image above: A protester holds a portrait of Mahsa Amini during a demonstration in Turkey in support of Amini, a young Iranian woman who died after being arrested in Tehran by the Islamic Republic’s ‘morality police.’ (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)
Amnesty Feminist Women’s march in the Netherlands
Within a week of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia introduced war censorship laws making anti-war protests or sharing information about the invasion a serious offence. Since then, thousands of people have been detained, and many have been sentenced simply for speaking out.
Women are increasingly targeted and prosecuted under the war censorship laws. At the same time, with a few exceptions, women detained for their critical views are less prominent or well-known compared to male counterparts.
The hundreds of women in Russia imprisoned for their opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine are “missing” from public life. They miss their loved ones and their communities. They are missing birthdays, weddings, coffee with friends or walking their dog. They are missing the chance to continue their activism.
This International Women’s Day, they need your solidarity. Send a message of solidarity now.
Stand with the girl survivors of north-east Nigeria in their fight for their future!
These girls and young women suffered horrific abuses in Boko Haram captivity. Once they managed to leave, many were unlawfully detained and subsequently neglected by Nigerian authorities.
Despite some family reunification efforts, the Nigerian government has largely failed to promote their physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration, as required by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child to which Nigeria is a state party.
These girls and young women have now found the courage to speak out and they are claiming their lives back. Urge the President of Nigeria to empower these girls and young women by ensuring their access to medical care, education, and livelihood support.
Learn more: download the #EmpowerOurGirls Campaign Toolkit
© Amnesty International
Participants during the annual Red Dress Day march in downtown Edmonton, hosted by Project REDress, commemorating the lives of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls across Canada. On Thursday, 5 May 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This International Women’s Day, you can also help raise awareness of the rights of Indigenous women in Canada.
The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls finished its work more than five years ago. However, this crisis has not gone away. Despite some progress on the Calls for Justice made in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, that request the urgent safety of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, there are many areas where no or little progress has been made.
In December 2022, police announced charges in the murder of four Indigenous women at the hands of an alleged serial killer linked to white supremacist ideology. In May 2022, police reported that two of the women’s bodies were believed to be in the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg. After years of advocacy by victims’ families and Indigenous leaders, the search for their bodies began in 2024. February 28, 2025, the province of Manitoba announced the discovery of possible human remains of the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg. Unfortunately, it was another tragic sign that urgent action to address the ongoing genocide of Indigenous women is still needed. To support victims and their families, Amnesty is allied with Families of Sisters in Spirit and the families of the murdered First Nation women in speaking out about police negligence, anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination.
Canada also has a long history of harm and human rights abuses against Indigenous land and water defenders who are opposing colonial expropriation and protecting their lands and waters from extractive and resource development industry projects. Indigenous women, Two Spirit and gender-diverse defenders not only experience criminalization and surveillance but also state-sanctioned sexual and gender-based violence in their attempts to preserve their lands and waters and heal their communities.
Call on the government of Canada to respect the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples and protect Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ land and water defenders through urgent compliance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Calls for Justice outlined in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and recommendations highlighted by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Graphic by Rachel Lim
Indigenous land defenders Sleydo’ (Molly Wickham), a Wing Chief (Cas Yikh house) of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation; Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet’suwet’en family connections; Jen Wickham; and Corey “Jayohcee” Jocko. Photo by Alli McCracken/Amnesty International
Wet’sewet’en land defenders, Sleydo’ (Molly Wingham) wing Chief of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’sewet’en Nation, and Shaylynn Sampson, a Gitxsan woman with Wet’suwet’en family ties were arrested in a militarized RCMP raid on Wet’suwet’en Nation’s territory in British Columbia. They shared their experiences of anti-Indigenous racism and sexual and gender-based violence during her interactions with the RCMP. On February 18th, 2025 the judge found that there was an abuse of process during police raids by the RCMP. The Indigenous women defenders experienced human rights violations, including gender-based racial slurs and the mockery symbols representing MMIWG.
The Tiny House Warriors are a Secwépemc women-led land and water defender movement that is actively opposing the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) construction project and the development of nearby ‘man-camps’. Tiny House Warrior co-founder Kanahus Manuel spoke about her experiences of anti-Indigenous racism and gender-based violence with Amnesty International. Read Kanahus’s blog and take action to protect the rights of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ defenders.
To learn more about how you can advocate for the rights of Indigenous women in Canada this International Women’s Day, read Amnesty’s Stolen Sisters Campaign Guide.
Colombia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world to defend human rights. Women defenders are facing a wave of dangerous new death threats and attacks aimed at silencing their voices. This is in spite of important emergency measures taken by the reform government of President Petro and Vice President Márquez, the first Afro-Colombian woman human rights defender to become vice president.
Listen to what Colombian defenders want to tell us. Read this blog. Watch this video. Then take action to ensure these courageous women can continue their important work.
Support the call by women human rights defenders in Colombia for an overhaul of the police to prevent more gender-based violence. Sign our Colombia: Protect Peaceful Protest, Reform Repressive Police E-Action.
Join calls on Colombia for coordinated action with women human rights defenders to protect them, amid a new wave of dangerous threats. Sign our Keep Hope in Colombia Alive E-Action. Be a multiplier by sharing these action and inviting others to sign them!
365 candles with the symbol of a woman are illuminated in front of the Townhall as hundreds of participants take part in a demonstration for International Women’s Day in Bonn, Germany, on November 25, 2024, to raise awareness of violence against women (Photo by Ying Tang/NurPhoto via Getty Images).
Afghan women protest against a new Taliban ban on women accessing university education on December 22, 2022, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)
The Taliban, as the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, have shown complete disregard for their human rights obligations under international law. Discriminatory restrictions on the rights of women and girls, with the apparent aim of completely erasing them from public life, have intensified in recent months. Women protesting against the Taliban’s harsh policies face forced disappearance, arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and other mistreatment.
Governments around the world must put the rights of women and girls at the very centre of their foreign policy for Afghanistan. They must take their lead from Afghan women’s rights defenders, and insist, for example, on women’s and girls’ equal access to education, to employment and to essential services, without discrimination.
Fortunately, there are countless ways you can get involved in International Women’s Day in Canada! Here are some ideas:
Wear something purple to show your support for International Women’s Day.
Donate to Amnesty International Canada to support women in Canada and around the world.
Donate Today »
Volunteer to help raise awareness with Amnesty International Canada.
Volunteer Now »
Share inspirational stories of women on social media on International Women’s Day and tag @AmnestyNow #IWD2025 #InternationalWomensDay #WomensDay
For a full list of actions you can take to support equal opportunities for women and celebrate International Women’s Day, visit What You Can Do.
By participating in any of these International Women’s Day activities—or even if you raise awareness about them—you will help ensure that women everywhere receive the recognition and respect they deserve!
Demonstrators participate in a rally to condemn violence against women, organized by the feminist and transfeminist movement Non Una Di Meno, during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Milan, Italy on November 25th, 2024 (Photo by Pamela Rovaris/Archivio Pamela Rovaris/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
International Women’s Day is more than just a celebration – it’s a global day for us to unite as powerful allies striving to achieve true gender equality worldwide. No matter how you recognize this day, remember that every action counts towards creating a better future for all women everywhere!
So we hope you will join Amnesty this International Women’s Day and act now for women’s rights! #IWD2025 #GenderEqualityNow
If you’d like to learn more about women’s rights globally and in Canada this International Women’s Day, you might want to read the following books.
Amnesty International’s Human Rights Academy also offers two courses focused on gender-based violence that you might be interested in watching.
Samra Habib
Samra Habib’s We Have Always Been Here is an essential memoir on gender identity and faith, queer sexuality, feminist spirit, and humanity. The accompanying Discussion Guide is also helpful for book clubs marking International Women’s Day.
Farzana Doctor
Farzana Doctor’s Seven is a powerful and captivating novel about the cultural practice of khatna or female genital mutilation (FGM). For more information and resources on ending female genital mutilation, visit the End FGM Canada Network.
Amnesty Online Course
Join us for our online course about online violence against women and girls. In this course, you will learn about how women and girls are targeted for violence and harassment online and explore strategies for preventing and addressing this growing problem. Whether you are a survivor, an advocate, or want to learn more about this important issue, this course is for you.
Amnesty Online Course
Gender-based violence is a global pandemic that disproportionately affects women and girls, gender-nonconforming individuals and people of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. In this online course, you will learn about the various forms of gender-based violence, which constitutes a human rights violation and results from gender and other intersecting forms of discrimination. We’ll also explore strategies for preventing and addressing gender-based violence.
