INTERNATIONAL: Marking International Women's Day

International Women's Day is celebrated each year on March eighth. Groups around the world use this day to honor the progress of women. They also use the day to call attention to the social, political and economic problems facing women and girls. Among the issues are forced marriage, sexual abuse, poverty and a lack of education.

The United Nations says one in five women worldwide will be the victim of a sexual assault in her lifetime. It says rape and domestic violence are major causes of disability and death among women age fifteen to forty four. More than one hundred thirty million females in Africa and other areas of the world have had their sexual organs cut for cultural reasons.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the world's goals for peace, security, and sustainable development are at risk until women and girls are freed from poverty and injustice. More than one billion people in the world live in extreme poverty. And the United Nations says the majority are female.

National Woman's Day was first celebrated in the United States on February twenty eighth, nineteen hundred and nine. The next year a women's rights leader from Germany suggested the idea of an international celebration. Clara Zetkin said women around the world should set aside one day every year to protest oppression and inequality. She suggested the idea at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen.

More than one million people attended events in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland during the first International Women's Day. It took place in nineteen eleven.

In nineteen fourteen the date for the observance was changed to March eighth in honor of an historic protest for women's rights. Fifteen thousand women marched in New York City on March eighth nineteen hundred and eight. They marched to demand better pay, shorter work hours and the right to vote.

International Women's Day is a public holiday in several countries. They include China, Russia, Bulgaria and Vietnam.