Nearly 2,000 people joined the Women’s March in central Kyiv on International Women’s Day, March 8.
The protesters started off at Mykhailvska Square at 1 p.m.
The participants advocated for the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe’s treaty on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which Ukraine signed but hasn’t ratified yet. That means that legally the country can’t be held accountable by its provisions.
Other demands of the rally included the opening of state shelters for women who became the victims of domestic violence throughout Ukraine and just investigation of violence from the members of far-right organizations.
More demands concerned the COVID-19 pandemic: stopping cutting social support for those who have lost their jobs during the crisis, providing safe conditions for women whose jobs pose a high risk of getting infected and providing access to all medical services.
The event was a joint effort of several non-profits such as Women’s March, Amnesty International Ukraine, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Positive Women, Ukrainian Women’s Fund and Insight.
