On March 8, hundreds of thousands of women mobilized in dozens of Latin American cities to commemorate International Women’s Day. In the marches which took place across the continent, women carried banners and chanted slogans calling for an end to inequality and for the fulfillment of the rights they have won through struggle.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
One of the cities where the march was most numerous was Buenos Aires, where the demonstrators marched from the National Congress to the Plaza de Mayo under the slogan “Transfeminist, anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-patriarchal and anti-capitalist international strike”. The demonstrators also demanded the reversal of the government’s budget cuts to state programs that seek to reduce gender inequalities in the country. A few hours earlier, Milei’s government published a video in which it challenged the feminists claiming that their struggle is framed within the so-called “woke ideology”.
Former congresswoman Miriam Bergman posted on her X account, “Your neoliberal/conservative project will need to double down on its oppression. We are going to respond with all our strength.”
Mexico City, Mexico
A massive demonstration took place in the capital of Mexico, in which, according to the Government of Mexico City, close to 200,000 people marched to demand an end to gender violence and the timely action of the authorities in cases of disappearance, rape, and femicide. According to the National Public Security System, about 6,837 women were murdered in Mexico in 2024.
On March 8, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced 10 actions to curb gender violence:
- Establishing 24 points to recognize Mexican women in history
- The opening of the Women in History room in the National Palace
- The delivery of millions of Women’s Rights Passbooks
- The construction of the National Network of Weavers of the Homeland made up of volunteer women from all over the country
- The delivery of the Women’s Welfare Pension to women between 60 and 63 years of age
- The construction of 200 Child Care Centers for working mothers
- Permanent recognition of women of indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples
- Preference for women as owners in the National Housing for Wellbeing Program
- Recognition of agrarian rights for at least 150 thousand women
- Beginning of forums and consultations to determine actions to make constitutional and legal reforms against violence against women a reality
The measures are seen as a significant step in addressing gender violence, but their effectiveness will depend on sustained political will and meaningful enforcement.
Quito, Ecuador
In Ecuador’s capital, thousands of women marched against gender violence, as well as against the government of Daniel Noboa. The president is seeking re-election in the second round of elections on April 13 against Correista candidate Luisa Gonzalez. While Noboa affirms that “the best way to honor [women] is to give them more opportunities”, the chants in the march were expressed against the Executive for his economic policy and his security plan: “Noboa anti- homeland, return the Sacha field” (referring to the privatization of the main oil field of the country) and “Noboa, murderer/you killed four children” (concerning the death of four minors in Guayaquil) were some of the slogans chanted by the demonstrators.
Santiago, Chile
In Santiago, there was also a massive march called by the Feminist Coordinating Committee 8M. Organizations stated that the historic demands of the feminist movement, such as greater social equality, have been unfulfilled. In this sense, they denounced the advance of neoliberalism in the region and the country. Cristian Varela, spokesperson for the Feminist Coordinator, stated “Today we took to the streets to denounce that there is a consensus in the political class to continue enacting neoliberal policies that block profound changes and do not allow social transformation in Chile.”
Brazil
In Brazil, tens of thousands of women in Brazil’s major cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, denounced the attempts of the country’s ultra-conservative groups to restrict access to abortion, as well as the unequal social and economic status of women.
Maira of the MST, historian and elected councilor of the city of Rio de Janeiro, said in this regard “Today, as the capitalist crisis deepens, poverty and violence against women also increase. As part of the responses to this crisis, we see the advance of authoritarian and conservative ideologies that attack our rights and deepen inequalities. Even so, the struggle of women and their ability to organize have been fundamental in confronting the rise of the extreme right in Brazil and in the world, demonstrating that popular feminist resistance is fundamental to building alternatives to the current economic and political model.”
