Background of International Women's Day

The history of March 8 dates back to many historical events, but the official beginning of celebrating this day dates back to 1908. This year, a group of working women led by Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemburg staged a major demonstration in New York City for labor rights, women's rights, and women's suffrage. In this demonstration, which became known as the "women's pensionist demonstration", women protested their demands to improve their working and social conditions.
After this incident, in 1910, at the Conference of Women Journalists in Copenhagen, guidelines were approved to celebrate an international day for women. This day was gradually celebrated all over the world in the following years and is known as "International Women's Day".
In the following decades, March 8th has been used as an opportunity to highlight women's issues and improve their conditions in various societies around the world.

How is Women's Day celebrated around the world?

All over the world, March 8 is celebrated in different ways. The day is celebrated by individuals, civil groups, NGOs and governments as an opportunity to highlight women's issues and improve the conditions of women in various societies around the world. Various programs are held on this day, including the following:
1. Conferences and seminars:
2. Demonstrations and marches:
3. Conferences and exhibitions:
4. Campaigns and awareness measures:
5. Ceremony and presentation of awards: In some countries, ceremonies and presentation of awards are held for prominent and active women in various fields in order to respect their achievements in the society.
These activities and programs to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 are very diverse around the world, welcoming each region and culture in its own way.

How is the celebration of International Women's Day in Iran?

In Iran, the situation is different. Since the birth of the Islamic Republic, as part of its westernization policy, the birthday of Fatima, the daughter of prophet Mohammed, has been marked and celebrated as Mother's Day and Women's Day.

The main reason for changing the date of International Women's Day by the government was the bitter memory of March 8, 1979. Thousands of women poured into the streets of Tehran and marched towards Prime Minister Mehdi Bazargan's office in protest against the imposition of hijab. Women were beaten by thugs and chased by police. Nevertheless, year after year, on the occasion of International Women's Day, Iranian women activists use social networks to show solidarity with women around the world.

In September 2022, the death of Zhina Amini, who was killed by the morality police, brought Iranian women's protests into a new stage of struggle. The grievances expressed in the Zhina Revolution were beyond many previous protests in Iran, women demanded an end to the mandatory hijab, an end to the presence of the morality police, the religious regime, and the violation of human rights.
While the programs and activities related to the International Women's Day in countries with a democratic and free regime may be held in a variety of ways, but in the country of Iran, despite the Islamic regime, the political and social environment is different. The programs and activities related to the Women's Day It will face the negative reaction of the regime and it brings the possibility of increased security measures, repression and violence.
  Now Iranian women, despite the Zhina revolution and the slogan (women،life, freedom), will undoubtedly use March 8 as another opportunity to fight more seriously against the suppression of the dictatorial system and show their objections to the violation of human rights and freedom in Iran, and like every They are trying to reach their peers all over the world.

March 8 message for freedom-loving women
Undoubtedly, the deep conflict between women, youth, teenagers and oppressed people in general with the Islamic Republic is not limited to the compulsory hijab.

More than four decades, class exploitation, sexual and gender oppression, national and religious oppression, suffocation and dictatorship, looting, theft and embezzlement, suppression and killing, execution and torture, arresting every voice of freedom and the absence of any freedom; It is the source of the conflict of the majority of the oppressed masses with the regime, which was reflected in the uprising of Jinnah. But the nationwide struggle of women against the compulsory hijab in the uprising of Zhina/Mahsa was able to bring out all these contradictions and shed them. The Islamic Republic is terrified of the spread of women's struggle against the compulsory hijab and the wide support of the people and their joining this struggle.
Although March 8 is very important for the continuation of the struggle, it should be kept in mind that advancing the struggle against the regime on this day is a part of going through the revolution process.