A Look at Women's Protests
Gender

A Look at Women's Protests

A snapshot of women-led protests around the world

Women wearing flamenco dresses take part in a protest against the crisis in the flamenco fashion sector generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, in Seville, Spain, on February 26, 2021.
Women wearing flamenco dresses take part in a protest against the crisis in the flamenco fashion sector generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, in Seville, Spain, on February 26, 2021. REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo

Blocking roads, marching through the streets, burning tires, creating art, and holding performances. These are just some of the ways in which women make their voices heard. From Afghanistan to Colombia, women have been at the forefront of protests during the past few years, drawing attention to discrimination, abortion, violence against women, and economic inequality. Many of these issues have been intensified by the coronavirus pandemic, but across the globe, women have not been afraid to raise their voices in defense of themselves and those they love.

To highlight these expressions of women's activism, we compiled a slideshow looking at the ways women have spoken out against violence and injustice.  

Afghan women shout slogans during a rally to protest against what the protesters say is Taliban restrictions on wome
omen protesting against Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 1, 2021
Women participate in a second march of indigenous women to protest Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and his leadership during the COVID-1 pandemic.
A member of Pussy Riot performs in the nationwide Women's March, held after Texas rolled out a near-total ban on abortion procedures and access to abortion-inducing medications, in Austin, Texas
Women march to demand justice and raise awareness for Joyce Echaquan, an indigenous woman who died while subjected to racism at a hospital in September 2020, in Quebec, Canada.
Women protest a lack of government support after losing their husbands and children to the Second Libyan War Civil War, in Misrata, Libya, on November 7, 2020.
Women take part in a protest, organized by the "Women Wage Peace" grassroots movement, against Israel's planned annexation of part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, outside government offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 18, 2020
Women hold up smoke bombs during a protest to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Guatemala City, Guatemala November 25, 2021
Somali women who say their sons have been used as fighters in the Tigray conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia, react during a protest in Mogadishu
DOCUMENT DATE: November 25, 2021 A woman takes part in a protest to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Bogota, Colombia November 25, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez
REUTERS/Luis Echeverria
 a group of women hold torches to protest the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar
Close
Afghan women shout slogans during a rally to protest against what the protesters say is Taliban restrictions on wome omen protesting against Turkey's withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 1, 2021 Women participate in a second march of indigenous women to protest Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro and his leadership during the COVID-1 pandemic. A member of Pussy Riot performs in the nationwide Women's March, held after Texas rolled out a near-total ban on abortion procedures and access to abortion-inducing medications, in Austin, Texas Women march to demand justice and raise awareness for Joyce Echaquan, an indigenous woman who died while subjected to racism at a hospital in September 2020, in Quebec, Canada. Women protest a lack of government support after losing their husbands and children to the Second Libyan War Civil War, in Misrata, Libya, on November 7, 2020. Women take part in a protest, organized by the "Women Wage Peace" grassroots movement, against Israel's planned annexation of part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, outside government offices in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 18, 2020 Women hold up smoke bombs during a protest to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in Guatemala City, Guatemala November 25, 2021 Somali women who say their sons have been used as fighters in the Tigray conflict in neighbouring Ethiopia, react during a protest in Mogadishu DOCUMENT DATE: November 25, 2021 A woman takes part in a protest to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Bogota, Colombia November 25, 2021. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez REUTERS/Luis Echeverria  a group of women hold torches to protest the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar
1/12
View All

Caroline Kantis is associate editor for Think Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.


Lillian Posner is a research associate for Think Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Most Popular