Watch Now: Women Transforming Societies: The Global Fight for Human Rights

When women mobilize to demand their rights, they challenge government policies and practices -- paving the way for greater accountability, justice, and equity for all.

The September 2022 murder of Mahsa Amini sparked massive protests across Iran and the world. The demonstrators’ rallying cry, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” called not only for women’s liberation but also for Iran to become a democratic state. A few years prior, Sudanese women, demonstrating against sexist laws that restricted their lives, helped to oust the country’s authoritarian president and start Sudan on the path to democracy.

Women’s rights are contested not only at the country level, but also within the United Nations, where some countries seek to roll back global standards on human rights, limit civil society’s involvement in United Nations processes, and weaken mechanisms to hold governments accountable.

From the streets to the highest levels of international governance, women are mobilizing for rights in all aspects of their lives and demanding societal and political transformation. Following International Women’s Day, join Perry World House; the Center for Research in Feminist, Queer, and Transgender Studies; the Middle East Center; and the Penn Women’s Center for a discussion on how grassroots activism, research, and UN advocacy work together to advance women’s human rights.

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