International Women's Day: How it's celebrated around the globe

Female “footballers,” or soccer players, are invited to an event in Buwate, Uganda, to celebrate this year’s IWD.  Girls have an opportunity to participate in soccer drills with the Buwate Youth Soccer club, while a similar event is held in Sierra Leone, sponsored by the Craig Bellamy Foundation. Both events aim to raise awareness of issues related to gender inequality and empowerment of women through sport.
In Bamako, Mali, some women are marking IWD with a peaceful march to raise awareness about female genital mutilation. They hope to educate men and women about the thousands of females exposed to the dangerous practice, which has powerful cultural roots but can cause serious health problems for women.
Progress Watch:
+ Twenty-eight countries have reached or surpassed 30 percent female representation in legislative bodies, and of those countries, eight are located in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN.
– Nearly 50  percent of respondents to a seven-country survey by the UN in sub-Saharan Africa agreed it is sometimes or always justifiable for a man to beat his wife, according to UN Women.