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Why women in the Middle East find little to celebrate on March 8

From Beirut to Khartoum, women in the Middle East held demonstrations calling for the elimination of discriminatory laws and improvement of their situation.
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Despite global fears of the spread of the coronavirus, women around the world took to the streets March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day. In the Middle East, from mask-clad Lebanese women calling for a feminist revolution on the streets of Beirut to protests by Sudanese women in front of the country’s Ministry of Justice, women have used the occasion to call for nondiscriminatory laws, greater representation in decision-making and strong measures to fight against domestic violence.

In Khartoum, Sudanese activists gathered in front of the Justice Ministry to voice their disappointment at the lack of progress on women’s issues, particularly after they have been at the forefront of the protests that toppled Omar al-Bashir last year.

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