Women around the world rally for change on International Women's Day

2018-03-09 1

Now for a look at stories making headlines around the world and we continue with International Women's Day.
Millions of women across the globe have gathered to protest, strike and celebrate the occasion on Thursday.
This year's International Women's Day is gaining more attention following the emergence of the MeToo and TimesUp movements.
For more on this and other international news we turn to Ro Aram…
Aram… it has been a tumultuous year for campaigns against sexual harassment and gender equality…
Give us a run down on the events happening worldwide….

Well Mark… let's start with Spain as it appears the biggest movement is happening there.
Female workers across the country have launched an unprecedented 24-hour strike to protest against gender inequality and sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace.
Hundreds of thousands of women have taken to the streets in dozens of cities across Spain.

"We have to fight to make our situation known, as much in the social sphere, as in the workplace, in the home. Therefore what we are doing today is stopping work to show that if women stop, the world stops."

Organizers say more than five million women are taking part in the strike and are stopping work and putting off household chores.
In Russia, International Women's Day is a public holiday and women took the day off to take part in demonstrations, though on a much smaller scale compared to Spain.
To mark the occasion, President Putin recited a Soviet-era poem to praise women's contribution to society.
Over in Asia, activists in Manila staged a rally against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who they claim is among the worst violators of women's rights in Asia.
Other events marking International Women's Day are also being held in dozens of other nations.
Meanwhile, businesses are also taking part in the action.
McDonald's is temporarily flipping its iconic M-shaped golden arches on certain packaging to show a 'W' to celebrate women.
But the move quickly faced backlash as critics suggested the fast-food giant should pay its workers a living wage rather than stage what they called a cheap PR stunt.