Protesters hold signs at a demonstration calling for women's rights in Afghanistan in London's Parliament Square on International Women's Day on Friday.
From purple flags in Kyrgyzstan to pregnancy costumes in Bangkok to a sit-in in Seoul, demonstrators worldwide filled the streets Friday to mark this year's International Women's Day. Rallies on International Women's Day traditionally take aim at women's issues like pay equality and domestic violence, and this year's iteration was no exception. In Thailand, protesters called for longer maternity leave; in Germany, some called for better working conditions; and in London, demonstrators urged greater access to education in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
And some used the rallies to demand an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military campaign responding to the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Others called for the return of the rest of the Israeli hostages kidnapped that day, some of whom are women.