International Women's Day 2017: protests, activism and a strike – as it happened

Russian president Vladimir Putin has issued a gushing message to the women of Russia, praising their “beauty and vitality” and, of course, their timekeeping abilities.

In a statement Putin said:

Dear women: mothers, grandmothers, daughters, wives, friends, our nearest and dearest ones, please accept my heartfelt congratulations on International Women’s Day!

You fill this world with beauty and vitality, giving warmth and comfort, cordiality and harmony with your tenderness and generosity of spirit.

You care day and night for your children, grandchildren and your family. Even today, on International Women’s Day, you are still caught up in your routine, working tirelessly, always on time. We often ask ourselves, how do they manage it all?

Many have pointed out that Putin has recently signed into law a controversial amendment that decriminalises some forms of domestic violence.

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On International Women’s day the president of the European Parliament hhas vowed that a Polish lawmaker will be punished for sexist comments he made last week.

EU parliament President Antonio Tajani said that he intends to bring a “swift conclusion” to the probe into the remarks of radical right-winger Janusz Korwin-Mikke at the legislature and promised “a penalty commensurate with the gravity of the offence.”

During a debate on the pay gap between men and women Korwin-Mikke said: “Of course women must earn less than men because they are weaker, they are smaller, they are less intelligent. They must earn less, that’s all.”

He could face sanctions such as a reprimand, a temporary suspension or a fine. Hopefully a big one.

In the Middle East the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) is marking International Women’s Day with a timely reminder of the need for greater protection for women human rights defenders in the region.

On IWD a march will take take in Lebanon, organised by the WHRDs Middle East and North Africa Coalition.

Here is a sobering reminder of the dangers and harassment people fighting for equality face in many countries throughout the world.

In 2017, hundreds of women are still in captivity, detention, exile, many are under surveillance, travel bans and judicial harassment, while others are subjected to torture, disappearance or murder as a result of their human rights activities.

In conflict zones, targeting women increases in parallel with the increase of violence, where sexual violence against girls and women is used as a tool of war, human trafficking, and early marriage plus other types of targetings puts women at greater risk.

The organisation points out that women in Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria, and Yemen are targeted daily just for being women.

According to the GCHR they work “under government surveillance, risk of persecution, detention and torture for demanding their basic rights such as social rights in Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and political rights in Bahrain, while others are struggling to have a voice in shrinking civil spaces in countries including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.”

The organisation points to 2017 as a year of momentous change for women in the middle east:

Despite all odds, women refuse to be submissive, oppressed, marginalised, used and excluded; instead they have found strength in solidarity, and collaborative work. The beginning of this year showed how women can mobilise their efforts to refuse patriarchy and challenge the status quo.

If you needed any more reason to love the small but powerful nation of Iceland, here’s another: the country has just become the first country in the world to require companies to prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality and nationality.

This from the ministry of Social Affairs and Equality:

The certification requires companies with more than 25 employees to not only offer equal pay for equal work, but also equal pay for work of the same value. The Equal Pay Standard, on which the certification requirements are based, does this by assessing a company’s pay policies, classification of jobs according to equal value and wage research on the basis of the classification, as well as formalizing policies and processes related to pay decisions.

The move aims to help the country achieve its aim of eradicating the country’s gender gap by 2022

Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs and Equality, Þorsteinn Víglundsson said:

As a country we set ourselves the challenge to eradicate the gender pay gap by 2022 but, despite taking steps such as introducing dedicated paid leave for new dads and 40% quotas for women on boards of larger companies, we have not made the progress we would have wished. It is the right time to do something radical about this issue.

We want to show the world that eradicating the gender pay gap is an achievable goal and we hope other nations will follow suit in adopting the Equal Pay Standard in years to come.

Iceland has a long and proud history of leading the way on gender equality. For the past eight years it has topped the World Economic Forum’s gender gap index.

The Economist recently named Iceland the world’s best place for working women – in comparison, the UK came in at No. 24.

You can read the joyous story of 90% of Icelandic women going on strike in 1975 here.

The UK parliament Women and Equalities Select Committee have done a video encouraging women to get into politics.

The chair Maria Miller told me for a IWD story last week, that the WESC has been made permanent. Also, she believed having a female prime minister - coupled with MPs from both sides of the divide being prepared to work for common goals - was making a quiet difference to improving policy on women’s issues.

It’s worth following @5050Parliament for the campaign for better female representation in the UK parliament.

If you want to take one small action for IWD, you can sign their petition here:

An example of how people are using this year’s IWD to fight for political goals can be seen in Ireland. where women are preparing to strike and march in a bid to push the government to call a referendum on reproductive rights. People are gathering on the bridge in Dublin at 12.30.

You can read more about the push to repeal the 8th amendment, which amounts to a constitutional ban on abortion in Ireland, by my colleague Henry McDonald.

If you’re taking part in an event to mark International Women’s Day, we’d like you to share your experiences, photographs and video with us. If you’re not taking part in an event, you can send your messages of support too. You can click on the blue ‘Contribute’ button at the top of the live blog.

We recognise it may not always be safe to record or share your experiences – so please think about this when sharing your content with GuardianWitness.

Thanks to Rob Shaw who has directed me to the resplendent front page of Wikipedia today, which - among other fabulous women - is celebrating the achievements of top scouser Bessie Braddock. It’s worth checking out.

In Sheffield in the UK protesters are using the Women of Steel statue [see my colleague Helen Pidd’s previous story on the statue here] to voice their opposition to the new Bishop of Sheffield’s views on the ordination of women.

Hello from London! And happy International Women’s Day to all. Huge thanks to the incredible Claire Phipps who has put in a sterling shift for the sisterhood from Australia.

I’ll be here for much of the day and I would love to hear your stories and see pictures of how you are marking the day. Are you striking? Wearing a specific colour? Get in touch!

I’m on alexandra.topping@theguardian.com and on twitter @lexytopping

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