The World March of Women (WMW), an international feminist movement embracing women from 63 countries across five continents, is convening its 13th international meeting in Ankara from 6-12 October. The gathering aims to discuss various feminist issues and celebrate the movement’s 25th anniversary.
The event kicked off on 6 October with a panel discussion at the Belediye-İş Conference Hall, co-hosted with the 29 October Women’s Association. The panel, titled “From Bahriye Üçok to Today: Women’s Struggle for Secularism Worldwide,” featured speakers including Şenal Sarıhan from Turkey, Bushra Khaliq from Pakistan, Şerifa Kheddar from Algeria and Nana Aicha Cisse from Mali.
Today, 7 October, the WMW sessions started at the Kocatepe Cultural Centre. The day-long event covers topics such as “WMW’s 25-Year History as an International Grassroots Feminist Movement”, “Feminist Economy as an Alternative” and “Life and Capital”. Feminists from five continents, including Wilhelmina Trout (South Africa), Emilia Castro (Canada) and Ana Maria Suarez-Franco (Colombia) are participating. Simultaneous translation is being provided in English, French, Spanish and Turkish.
The meeting will continue on 8 October with an international march from Tandoğan Square to AnıtPark. The women will march under the slogan “We resist to live, we march to change!” The 25th anniversary of the WMW will be celebrated at AnıtPark with performances by Jehan Barbur, the Fındıklı Women’s Choir and African women dancers.
The WMW began its organisation in 1998 in Quebec, Canada, as a global feminist movement against poverty and violence directed at women, growing to incorporate women from 63 countries. In 2022, Yıldız Temürtürkan was elected as the international coordinator, further enhancing the movement’s global representation.
