Join us on March 8th! International Women's Day global march

Reply-To: membership@awid.org


On March 8th International Women's Day many of you will join us in a
global march For a Life Free of Violence Against Women and Girls! More
than 100 organizations from around the world will participate in the march
many of whom are AWID members!

Each participating organization will find their own way to address the
theme of the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
taking place at the United Nations, in New York that week which will focus
on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women
and girls. On 8th March, women's rights advocates attending the CSW will
march through the city with the following demands to their governments:

Take Concrete Steps to End Impunity!
Fund Gender Equality and Human Rights Instead of Militarism!
Protect Women Human Rights Defenders!

Participating organizations will carry out diverse activities that focus
on holding governments accountable for their role in perpetrating and
perpetuating violence against women and girls. Our members will also do
their part to contribute to this call:

In Bolivia, the Centro de Mujeres Indigenas Aymaras Candelaria (The
Candeliaria Centre for Indigenous Aymara Women) will be marching and
paying homage to Clotilde Marquez Cruz a woman human Rights defender who
fought to end violence and discrimination against women. They will also
carry out public service announcements utilizing the march slogans and
will present awareness raising radio programs through their network of
community radios "Apachita."

In Nigeria, The Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ Zone D
including 4 states Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue and Kaduna) will organize
awareness raising discussions with various media outlets on violence
against women and girls. They will also carry out advocacy visits with
legislative stakeholders to lobby them to enact a bill on violence against
women which is currently before the national assembly.

Genre En Action members will join us in New York to take part in the local
march we are organizing right across from the United Nations to bring the
messages from our movements directly to governments.

In Egypt, our Egyptian sisters at "Masreya horra .. Etkalemi" : (Free
Egyptian Woman .. Speak Up) will also be co-sponsoring the march!

In India, the Gandhi Peace Centre will be participating as well!

These are just a few of the activities AWID members are organizing around
the world! On Friday March 8th we will share photos from the march in NYC
and more information about all of the ways in which organizations around
the world are participating in this global action! We will be covering the
march on our Facebook page and on Twitter. You can join us by following us
on Facebook and on Twitter using the following hashtags #CSW57, #EndVAW,
#VAW, #WHRDs, #EndImpunity, #FundGenderEquality, #EndMilitarism,
#DefendOurRightToDefendRights. In the meantime please click here to see
all of the march co-sponsors and the call to action. You can still
participate in this action just write to us at membership@awid.org and let
us know what you will be doing in support of the march for a Life Free of
Violence Against Women and Girls! Those Members who are already
participating are also invited to share pictures and emails letting us
know about the activities and events you are planning on March 8, 2013.

Sincerely,

AWID