MEDIA RELEASE
7th March 2007

30 years of International Women's Day

150 years of Activism for Women's Rights

On Thursday 8th March Amnesty International groups around New Zealand and the globe will be celebrating International Women's Day with infostalls, appeals and candle-lit vigils. Activist groups will be lighting 180 candles, signifying both 30 years of UN recognition of International Women's Day and the 150th Anniversary of the first known industrial protest organised by women on 8 March 1857.

International Women's Day is a time for asserting women's political and social rights and for reviewing the progress made by women. Amnesty International's aim is to celebrate women's achievements, and to highlight what actions governments must take to ensure that rape and sexual violence are stopped everywhere they occur.

8th March 2007 marks the 150 year anniversary of a garment factory workers' strike in New York City the first recorded organised action by working women anywhere in the world. The women were campaigning for better working conditions and equal rights.

The women's suffrage movement, around the world, was bolstered by the bravery of a small group of New York textile workers in 1857. 36 years later, New Zealand became the first country to grant women full voting rights. "It seems appropriate that we will also be the first country to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the New York protest", said Amnesty International NZ Campaigns Manager Gary Reese.

"The Amnesty events, in New Zealand and around the world, will enable people to take action for individuals in Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo, two areas of the world where basic human rights of women are still being ignored", said Mr Reese.

Notes
o In Mexico women and girls suffer high levels of discrimination and violence in the home and the wider community. Amnesty Action: Ines Fernndez Ortega & Valentina Rosendo Cant. In 2002, in separate incidents in Mexico Ines Fernndez Ortega & Valentina Rosendo Cant were approached and interrogated by soldiers, and then reportedly raped. Four years later, no one has been brought to justice.

o Tens of thousands of women and girls have been raped by combatant forces since the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo began in August 1998. A weakened judicial system prevents justice or redress, and women live in fear of reprisals if they do speak out. Amnesty Action: Bitondo Nyumba Bitondo was a 56- year old widow and mother of four, who died as a result of injuries caused by an attack and rape by Democratic Republic of Congo army soldiers in May 2005. Those responsible for the rape have been released without explanation and Bitondo's family has been threatened.

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