OneBillionRising 2026: Women Rise and Fight for a World Free of Violence!
The International Women's Alliance recognizes and uplifts the importance of February 14 as the kick off to One Billion Rising (OBR) - an annual global action campaign that seeks to educate and empower women to rise above the violence we experience and to show our commitment to fighting for a world free of violence against women. Around the world it is estimated that one in three women and girls will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime (approximately 1 billion), other forms of violence against women and children are also extremely high - with the number of women and children living within 50km of a deadly conflict event reaching an all time high of 676 million in 2024, an additional estimate from the UN's most recent report on women emphasized that women are dying at an alarming rate from interpersonal violence, with one woman dying every five minutes. It is evident that more women and children experience violence at the state, national, or interpersonal level than do not. This year's theme "Rise for our bodies, our future, our earth" not only calls us to rise for the absence of violence, but to also rise with the intention of building and creating a better future for our families, communities, and world.
We invite others to join IWA and our member organizations to take united action against the growing rise in cases of Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) that is only heightening as the economic crisis worsens under the global capitalist system. In the United States, we see more migrant women subject to being held in detention centers with inhumane living conditions or mothers being separated from their children who have been detained; with the examples of five year old Liam Conejo who was separated from his family to be used by ICE agents as bait in detaining others and Esther Lopez-Sanchez who had her baby taken from her while in custody. In the global south, many women and children are subject to losing their livelihood to land grabbing from multi-national corporations, climate change disasters, and militarization. Peasant women in rural areas that produce 60% of the world’s food but are not able to eat what they’ve produced and instead see their crops exported to international markets for profit, leaving them and their families hungry and poor.
We stand with the growing movements of women around the globe rising up against violence, corruption, fascism and imperialism! We urge others to join IWA and our member organizations in taking action as part of the One Billion Rising campaign as we know that violence against women is further exacerbated by the multiple global crises that continue to escalate as the U.S. continues to sink its claws into foreign countries and attempts to subdue China and Russia's growing influence. In 2026 we have already seen the lengths the US willing to go to weaken and incapacitate nations that have been asserting their sovereignty and oppose US intervention. All imperialist powers are dividing up the map, in search of more resources and using all forms of aggression to get the best share. Women in regions that are being targeted by inter-imperialist conflict experience displacement, abuse, and international humanitarian law violations as well as bearing the brunt of economic and climate catastrophes.
As IWA, we recognize that increasing fascist attacks against the most oppressed women and children in the global south are due to imperialist powers tightening their hold on semi-colonies and empowering their puppet regimes to further steal the peoples wealth. We also stand with the women around the world who have been tirelessly defending their communities in the face of growing fascism: from Minnesota to Manila, Rojava and Venezuela. IWA applauds those women on the front lines who continue to break the silence and rise against escalating violence and fascism; defend their communities; and fight for our future!
As part of One Billion Rising, IWA re-issues the call to our members and friends in the struggle to participate in Working Women's Week of Action this March 8-14 under the banner: "Counter Rising Fascism with Working Women's Unity! Continue the Fighting Legacy of IWWD". The strong and militant history of International Working Women's Day on since 1909 shows that when working women unite to confront their exploiters, to oppose corruption, and to win genuine liberation they are an unrelenting force for change! Together we can confront the many crises and rising fascism and advance women's cause of national and social liberation!
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