International Women’s Day 2023 will be marked by a protest against ongoing male violence.
Bristol Feminist Collective and allies will take to the streets on Wednesday, March 8, to remember the lives of women killed by men in 2022.
Organisers say the aim of the march is to raise awareness of the dangerous society women and others subjected to misogyny live in, and to ‘wake people from the false idea that feminism has already achieved its goal.’
Bristol Feminist Collective member, Annie, said: ‘despite more laws and resources being put towards tackling male violence it’s not enough and it’s not a problem that will go away any time soon unless we all get together and fight it with everything we’ve got.
‘In a world where a trans girl, Brianna Ghey, is murdered by teenagers, police officers assault, abuse and kill women and far-right gather in their hundreds outside hotels where migrants are housed, we cannot sit by quietly. All these issues are connected and it is time for us all to join forces and take action.’
Read more: International Women’s Day 2022
An estimated 107 women were killed by men in 2022.
High profile cases include the shooting of Elle Edwards and the murder of Emma Pattison and her daughter by her husband.
The year also saw the sentencing of ex-MET police officer David Carrick for 49 cases historic rape and sexual abuse. A further 800 MET officer are reportedly under investigation for sexual and domestic abuse claims.
Bristol Feminist Collective say that although stories of white women are more likely to make headlines, stories of black and brown women, sex workers and those who struggle with mental health or substance use are often ignored or the victims blamed. Trans women are not counted in the femicide census.
Following her murder, trans teenager Brianna Ghey was misgendered in the national press, who also used her dead name. Due to the UK’s gender recognition laws Ghey will be misgendered on her death certificate.
The International Women’s Day march will begin at 6pm on College Green. Participants will march holding lilies for each of the 107 women killed last year.
There will be speakers and a gathering at the end of the march. The event is open to people of all genders.
Following the march there will be an event at PRSC with Bristol Feminist Collective, Bristol Kurdish Solidarity Network and Bristol IWW.
Join the Facebook event for the march here.