Participation

Women in Black is a women's anti-war movement initiated in 1988 in Israel.

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While representing a month of liberation for many in the Middle East, March was revolutionary for the area in more than one way. At the culmination of Women's History Month, I would like to take note of some very famous women as of late: the female revolutionaries of the Middle East.

Addis Ababa, March 31, 2011 (Ezega.com) - As we celebrated International Women's day in March this year, one might ask the question how the status of African women has changed over the years, both on the grass roots level and on the policy level. On this question, both the United Nations and the African Union have been very vocal about the need for protection of women's rights. However, the problem remains in implementing it.

Following weeks of tumult and protests in North Africa and the Middle East, I could not have been more honored to lead my 16 female colleagues in the U.S. Senate in emphasizing the importance of women's rights and political participation. As one unified voice, the 17 of us introduced a resolution calling for women's rights as leaders in North Africa and the Middle East consider constitutional reforms and shape new governments.

Young Palestinian women took the initiative to be in the front line of the March 15 protests in Palestine to protect the protesters. With their bodies they created a human shield in an attempt to prevent any expected fights. Some of the protesters were on hunger strike for the third day. They simply called for an end to Palestinian division.

For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, a woman has overseen municipal elections, ensuring their accordance with electoral laws and providing guidance to presiding officers.

Jesime Tuli, who holds more than three decades of experience in the country's Election Commission, last year managed and executed the elections, upholding the rules of the Commission.

On March 23rd, 2011 women from across West Africa including Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Togo gathered outside the headquarters of ECOWAS to demand, with one voice, the immediate cessation of the human rights abuse against peaceful political protestors in Cote d'Ivoire.

A hundred years ago today, women across the world took an historic step on the long road to equality. The first ever International Women's Day was called to draw attention to the unacceptable and often dangerous working conditions that so many women faced worldwide.