The International Women’s Day drew thousands of people into the streets on March 8 in different cities around the world, in demonstrations marked by demands for rights, protection, equality, and the fight against gender-based violence.
From Chile to Brazil, passing by Greece, Spain, Ukraine and Peru, the protests brought together feminist movements, unions, students, and civil society organizations.
Here, March 8 brought thousands to the streets and turned mourning into pressure for public policies against gender-based violence.
The protests occurred amid the record number of femicides in 2025, when the country recorded 1,470 cases, according to the Ministry of Justice.
In Rio de Janeiro, the demonstration brought together feminist movements and civil society organizations on the Copacabana beachfront, in the South Zone, near where a 17-year-old girl was the victim of a gang rape weeks earlier.
In Porto Alegre, downtown, a theatrical performance displayed shoes stained red, in reference to blood, as the names of 20 women murdered in Rio Grande do Sul in 2026 were shouted.
In São Paulo, the mobilization took place on Paulista Avenue, even under heavy rain in the region.
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In Chile, in Santiago, protesters occupied the capital’s main avenue under the slogan “Not one step back, a hundred steps forward.” The march, organized by movements such as the 8M Feminist Coordination, defended women’s rights, housing, health, decent work, and the end of violence. The act also occurred amid concerns about the arrival of a more conservative government and the rise of the far right following the victory of José Antonio Kast.
In Athens, Greece, thousands of women and supporters marched through the city center with banners against war and in defense of gender equality. Feminist groups, unions, and students called for an end to conflicts and for safe and legal access to abortion, criticizing war as an extreme expression of patriarchy.
In Madrid, Spain, avenues were filled with the purple of the feminist movement, with emphasis on Ni Una Menos. Protesters recalled cases of femicide and demanded answers in light of the 48 women killed by gender-based violence in 2025 and the new victims recorded in 2026.
In Ukraine, in Kyiv, the march demanded an end to sexism in the Armed Forces and criticized a new Civil Code draft that, according to LGBTQ+ organizations, does not guarantee recognition for same-sex couples and could contravene European Union criteria.
In Peru, in Lima, thousands took to the streets on the eve of International Women’s Day and the April elections. The protesters demanded action against gender-based violence, criticized statements by candidate Keiko Fujimori about pregnancies resulting from rape, and called for justice for girls who suffered abuse in indigenous regions.
(With information from Reuters)
