A little about our previous actions
The whole history of the World March of Women is marked by a dynamic of thoughts and actions, developed from the local to the international and vice-versa. The two levels are inseparable. The WMW has already accomplished two international actions during the years 2000 and 2005.
Global actions are moments for strengthening our identity as a movement. Being “on the march” expresses the idea of moving ahead freely, without constraints and impediments, to express the strength of women organized collectively in associations, groups, and movements. In addition, it expresses the strength derived from the fact that we are women with particular experiences and political cultures, from diverse ethnicities but we have a common identity, which is to overcome the current unjust order that provokes violence and poverty. International solidarity is a part of our identity and we are attentive to what happens to our sisters in other parts of the world.
The World March of Women was born in 2000 as a mobilization that brought together women from around the world in a campaign against poverty and violence. That year, the national coordinating bodies organized national demonstrations and other actions. The activities began on March 8th, the International Women's Day, and ended on October 17th, and were organized around the call: "2000 reasons to march against poverty and sexist violence." This action had a participation of over 6,000 groups in 161 countries and territories. Its closure activity mobilized thousands of women around the world. On this occasion, it was delivered to the United Nations (UN) in New York a document with 17 demands backed by 5 million signatures.
Click here to access the documents and other material on the activities held in different countries between March 8th and October 17th and in Washington and New York, on October 15th, 16th and 17th.
Also, read the book “Women on the march”. In addition to the memory of the World March of Women in 2000, primarily, it is a look towards the future that we find in this document, through the actions, demands, gains and hopes of those who participated.
Finally, see a video excerpt from the “Partition pour voix des femmes”, a film by Sophie Bissonnette, reflecting the global magnitude of the World March of Women in 2000 (in French with English subtitles).
The second action in 2005, led, once again, thousands of women into the streets. The March developed the “Women’s Global Charter for Humanity”, which shows our vision of economy, social and cultural alternatives for building a world based on principles of equality, freedom, justice, peace and solidarity between peoples and human beings in general, respecting the environment and the biodiversity. From March 8th to October 17th of that year, we assembled the solidarity Patchwork Quilt with pieces of fabric from each country, as a symbolic way of representing the Charter. The Charter and the quilt started their international journey together on March 8th, in São Paulo, Brazil, with 30,000 women in the streets, and ended up in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on October 17th. Between these two dates, they passed through 53 countries and territories on five continents. During this course, the actions held at regional level and in border areas had much impact, mobilizing women in several countries simultaneously.
Click here to see information about the actions held in each country in 2005, around the Women's Global Charter for Humanity.
Or read the details of the actions in various countries.
On the 2005 Action, see also the Report of the 2005 actions.
1998-2008: A decade of international feminist struggle
The book The World March of Women 1998 - 2008: a decade of international feminist struggle retraces a little of our history through key texts and documents of the WMW and reflections on how we operate. It is available in three languages: French, English and Spanish.
