Thousands of women heard calls for peace as they gathered in Belfast for the annual International Women’s Day march and rally to demand an end to global conflict and equal rights for all.
Speakers taking to the podium outside Belfast City Hall on Saturday also called for an end to violence against women.
Cori Strain (21) from YouthAction NI said that women across the world were being subjected to violence and stripped of their rights. She said that more women in leadership roles could bring about the change needed for global peace.
She added: “We need more women in positions of power, better representation in politics and making policies that reflect the lived experience of women and will give them the support they need and to feel more equal and heard.”
his year’s Northern Ireland theme for the annual march and rally was ‘Solidarity Beyond Borders: Women for World Peace’, a demand to end violence both globally and at home.
Helen Crickard from Reclaim the Agenda, which organises the annual march and rally in Belfast, said: “This year’s rally is a plea for solidarity in the face of wars across the globe as well as the violence women and girls face here in Northern Ireland.
“We are demanding an era of peace, of respect for diversity and a world where all women are free to live their lives free of fear.”