Marked with Worldwide Protest From Genva to South Africa, thousands of women marked International Women's Day with protests against violence against women and sex discrimination. One thousand Kurdish and Afghan women staged a silent march in Geneva to protest violence and discrimination against women. Prostitutes in London staged a day of strike that coincided with International Women's Day. And in South Africa, hundreds of women marched on parliament demanding both protection of their rights and tighter gun control. Speaking on the role of women United Nations General Assembly President Theo-Ben Gurirab, Nambia's foreign minister, stated that women still remain largely ignored in social and political.
Women are half of every community.
Radio Station Eight thousand Mexican women, many of them Zapatista rebels, temporarily and peacefully took over a radio station in Chiapas to protest for the rights of women and indigenous Indians. The protest took place at the station in San Cristobal de Las Casas, the capital of Chiapas, where the Zapatista rebels launched their insurrection against the government over the rights of indigenous people. The women, many accompanied by children and husbands, interrupted programming for around a half an hour in honor of International Women's Day. Authorities reported no disturbances. The report also documented that the number of anti-lesbian and gay harassment incidents increased by 142 percent in 1999.