International Women's Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement.
IWD focuses on issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.
It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.
So on this day celebrate the women in your life if you are able to. Here are some facts about Women’s Day.
How long has Women's Day been celebrated?
On 19 March 1911, the first International Women’s Day was held, with more than 1 million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland taking part.
It took until 1975 for the United Nations to recognize and begin celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD).
Since then, the UN has served as the major sponsor of the yearly event, encouraging more countries to recognize acts of courage and resolve by ordinary women who have played an outstanding role in the history of their countries and communities.
What is the symbol and color?
The symbol for International Women’s Day is a female gender symbol. It is usually accompanied by the colors purple, green and white.
According to the International Women's Day website, purple stands for dignity and justice, green for hope, and white for purity.
Is it a holiday?
The day’s purpose varies by country. In some, it's a day of protest, while in others, it's a means to promote gender equality. In some countries, International Women's Day is observed as a national holiday.
IWD is recognized as an official national holiday in Armenia, Belarus, Cambodia, Cuba, Georgia, Laos, Mongolia, Montenegro, Russia, Uganda, Ukraine and Vietnam.
What is this year's theme?
This year, International Women's Day will be centered around the theme Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. Whereas the campaign theme is 'Inspire Inclusion'.
The aim of the specific theme is to inspire people and understand the value of including women.
Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage in Kenya stated that this years IWD will be held at Embu.
