When the world's women gather today to mark International Women's Day, it is in a time when much looks bleak.
In a quarter of the world's countries, women's rights are regressing, a report from the UN agency UN Women showed on Thursday.
"Globally, women's human rights are under attack. Instead of integrating equal rights, we see how misogyny is being integrated", said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement.
In several parts of the world, including the USA, democratic institutions are being hollowed out. Hand in hand with this comes the backlash against gender equality, according to UN Women.
In the USA, among other places in Los Angeles, large protest marches are being planned against what many consider to be a misogynistic policy. Among other things, President Donald Trump has since taking office abolished thousands of government programs focused on equality and inclusion.
In other parts of the world, including India and Turkey, women are protesting against the sky-high levels of violence and sexual violence against women.
It's bullying at work, pressure from husbands and fathers at home, and pressure from the patriarchal society. We demand that it stops, says 52-year-old Yaz Gülgün, who is demonstrating in Istanbul, to AP.
Every tenth minute, a girl or woman is killed by a partner or family member, according to Thursday's report from UN Women.
At the same time, conflict-related sexual violence has increased by 50 percent in just three years.
International Women's Day is marked annually on March 8 and was established in 1910 at the socialist world organization Second International in Copenhagen. The initiative came from women's rights activist Clara Zetkin.
In Sweden, Women's Day has been marked since 1912, initially on varying dates in the spring.
In 1977, the UN adopted a resolution recommending a general observance of an international women's day.
