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World spotlight on women's rights
Women in freezing Moscow celebrated with a mass bathe
Campaigners for greater recognition of women's rights are marking International Women's Day with renewed calls for economic and political equality.
 Every year a vast number of women and young girls are mutilated, battered to death, burned alive, raped, trafficked for domestic or sexual purposes  |
Amnesty International |
A petition is being launched in Geneva aiming for 10 million signatures worldwide, to support calls for the United Nations to introduce a programme combating poverty and violence.
Celebrations and protest
Around the world the day is being marked with various celebrations and protests.
The UN issued a statement saying that, in Afghanistan, the ruling Taleban have shown a new flexibility in their attitude towards women.
The UN co-ordinator for Afghanistan, Mr Ahmed Farah, said the Taleban had gradually allowed the reopening of some girls' schools which were closed after the capture of Kabul in 1996.
They had also extended restricted health facilities to women.
Correspondents say that following their takeover in Kabul, the Taleban imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law with severe restrictions on women. They came under strong criticism for banning education and jobs for women.
But now women teachers are being allowed to teach girls at home, and women can work in limited areas such as the health sector.
Parliament protest
In Kuwait women activists marked International Women's Day by filing a court case against the interior minister and parliament speaker demanding full political rights.
Kuwait is the only Gulf Arab state with an elected parliament but women are not allowed to take part.
Parliament in November narrowly rejected a draft law granting women full political rights. Women activists argue that Kuwait's election law violates the constitution.
In Paris, about 40 people renamed the city's Pantheon square, an area around the 18th century mausoleum for illustrious Frenchmen, "Men and women's square".
The Pantheon monument contains the remains of numerous famous figures of French history, with an inscription on the monument honouring only "the great men."
The protesters demanded that two French women be given a place of honour in the monument: Bethie Albrecht a member of the World War II Resistance who was decapitated with an axe in 1943, and Olympe de Gouges, revolutionary co-author of the declaration of women's rights who was guillotined in 1794.
War zone
Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin sent gift sets of cosmetics to female troops in Chechnya.
At the main military base outside Grozny, commanders issued flowers and perfume to female staff.
The gestures were part of Russia's annual outpouring of speech-making and ritual praise for women, with heavy emphasis on their roles as mothers and homemakers.
Women in Albania were allowed to take editorial control of the country's media - but only for 24 hours.
Newspaper articles and television programmes, as well as the national news agency ATA, are all being produced by women as part of a campaign by Unesco to support more career opportunities for women.
Monika Meta, the wife of the Albanian prime minister, said women journalists could do a great deal to improve the quality of the media in Albania - which was criticised by a recent US State Department report as being sensational and lacking integrity.
However, she said one day was not enough to achieve equal status for women.
Amnesty warning
The human rights organisation Amnesty International chose the day to remind the world that "more women and girls die each day because of various forms of gender-based discrimination than as a result of any other type of human rights abuse".
"Every year a vast number of women and young girls are mutilated, battered to death, burned alive, raped, trafficked for domestic or sexual purposes, primarily because they are female", Amnesty said.
Celebrations and protest
Around the world the day is being marked with various celebrations and protests.
The UN issued a statement saying that, in Afghanistan, the ruling Taleban have shown a new flexibility in their attitude towards women.
 Hundreds of women gathered outside UN headquarters in Geneva |
They had also extended restricted health facilities to women.
Correspondents say that following their takeover in Kabul, the Taleban imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law with severe restrictions on women. They came under strong criticism for banning education and jobs for women.
But now women teachers are being allowed to teach girls at home, and women can work in limited areas such as the health sector.
Parliament protest
In Kuwait women activists marked International Women's Day by filing a court case against the interior minister and parliament speaker demanding full political rights.
Kuwait is the only Gulf Arab state with an elected parliament but women are not allowed to take part.
Parliament in November narrowly rejected a draft law granting women full political rights. Women activists argue that Kuwait's election law violates the constitution.
 A protester for women's rights in Belgrade |
The Pantheon monument contains the remains of numerous famous figures of French history, with an inscription on the monument honouring only "the great men."
The protesters demanded that two French women be given a place of honour in the monument: Bethie Albrecht a member of the World War II Resistance who was decapitated with an axe in 1943, and Olympe de Gouges, revolutionary co-author of the declaration of women's rights who was guillotined in 1794.
War zone
Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin sent gift sets of cosmetics to female troops in Chechnya.
At the main military base outside Grozny, commanders issued flowers and perfume to female staff.
The gestures were part of Russia's annual outpouring of speech-making and ritual praise for women, with heavy emphasis on their roles as mothers and homemakers.
Women in Albania were allowed to take editorial control of the country's media - but only for 24 hours.
Newspaper articles and television programmes, as well as the national news agency ATA, are all being produced by women as part of a campaign by Unesco to support more career opportunities for women.
Monika Meta, the wife of the Albanian prime minister, said women journalists could do a great deal to improve the quality of the media in Albania - which was criticised by a recent US State Department report as being sensational and lacking integrity.
However, she said one day was not enough to achieve equal status for women.
Amnesty warning
The human rights organisation Amnesty International chose the day to remind the world that "more women and girls die each day because of various forms of gender-based discrimination than as a result of any other type of human rights abuse".
"Every year a vast number of women and young girls are mutilated, battered to death, burned alive, raped, trafficked for domestic or sexual purposes, primarily because they are female", Amnesty said.
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