International Women's Day

The International Women's Day is a day to celebrate the gains women have made over the years and to bring our attention to the issues that still face us. Most of all, it's a day to recognize that we, as women, have made and continue to make a difference.

I W Day is a reason to celebrate women's contribution to making Australia and the world a better place for everyone. March 8 is celebrated across the world as International Women's Day (IWD) and provides an opportunity to recognize the achievements of women and their contribution to society.

On this day, women can celebrate the progress that has been made but also contemplate those areas of women's lives where more can be done. Women's access to education, health care and paid labour has improved, and legislation that promises equal opportunities for women and respect for their human rights has been adopted in many countries. However, nowhere in the world can women claim to have all the same rights and opportunities as men, and until we all work together to secure the rights and full potential of women, lasting solutions to social, economic and political problems are unlikely to be found.

On IWD, like any other day, women around the world will suffer as victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and discrimination. In war, women will be raped, families will be shattered and many today remain, displaced, in refugee camps. We need to see changes that transform relationships between women and men, so women will be able to take greater financial, political and physical control of their lives.