International Women’s Day protests demand equal rights and an end to discrimination, sexual violence

Women across the world will call for equal pay, reproductive rights, education, justice and decision-making jobs during demonstrations marking International Women’s Day on Saturday.

Officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977, International Women’s Day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in places around the world. Protests are often political – and at times violent – rooted in women’s efforts to improve their rights as workers.

Demonstrations are planned from Tokyo to Mexico City, and this year’s global theme is “Accelerate Action,” coming at a moment where many activists worry that the current political environment may result in a backsliding on many of the rights they’ve long fought for. One in four countries reported a backlash against women’s rights last year, according to U.N. data.

Here is what to know about the March 8 global event:

International Women’s Day is a global celebration – and a call to action – marked by demonstrations, mostly of women, around the world, ranging from combative protests to charity runs. Some celebrate the economic, social and political achievements of women, while others urge governments to guarantee equal pay, access to health care, justice for victims of gender-based violence and education for girls.

It is an official holiday in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Ukraine, Russia and Cuba, the only one in the Americas.

As in other aspects of life, social media plays an important role during International Women’s Day, particularly by amplifying attention to demonstrations held in countries with repressive governments toward women and dissent in general.

While the idea behind a women’s day originated in the U.S. with the American Socialist Party in 1909, it was a German feminist who pushed for a global commemoration during an international conference of socialist women held in 1910 in Copenhagen. The following year, events across Europe marked the day, and during World War I, women used it to protest the armed conflict, which lasted from 1914 to 1918.

International Women’s Day is observed on March 8 after a massive protest in Russia on Feb. 23, 1917, that led to the country’s eventual withdrawal from the war. At the time, Russia had not adopted the Gregorian calendar and still used the Julian calendar.