I would like to congratulate the whole Georgia on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.

The Gender equality department of public defender’s office has conducted regional meetings titled “rights are my flowers’’ within the special week dedicated to the international women’s day. The meetings were symbolically held in 8 regions of the country aiming to increase awareness about women’s rights and gender equality issues.

Marking the International women’s day is related to the following issues: protection of women’s rights, the promotion of participation of women in decision-making process and combating all forms of violence against women.

History of marking 8 March counts 104 years. In 1910, during the international conference in Copenhagen, the German Socialist Clara Catkins has initiated the celebration of International women’s day. The initiative has been preconditioned by the massive protest rally of 15,000 women workers in 1909, demanding better remuneration, elimination of discrimination against women at the workplace, promotion of women participation in decision-making processes.

In 1975, UN has declared 8 March as the international women’s day. In Georgia, this day we recall immeasurable contribution of the women to the society, their achievements and accomplishments, talk about the challenges before women and seek the ways of overcoming them.

Having overviewed, the ways of improvements of women’s rights since 1909, some problematic issues still exist. Women’s carrier promotion, equal participation in the economic development, equal pay, the Feminization of poverty and a high rate of the violence against women has caused low economic activity of women.