International Women's Day around the world - in pictures

Women shout slogans and bang pans and pots during a demonstration at the start of International Women's Day in Puerta del Sol Square in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images

Women stage a sit-in protest blocking Gran Via avenue to mark International Women's Day, in Barcelona. EPA

Activists take part in an event to mark International Women's Day in Banda Aceh. AFP

Customers buy flowers at a flower stall in Pyongyang. AFP

People celebrate International Women's Day at a nursing home in Pyongyang, North Korea. Reuters

Women rise kitchen utensils. Spain marks International Women's Day with a women's general strike and countless protests scheduled throughout the day across the country in defence of their rights. Getty Images

Activists from Bangladeshi women's organizations hold placards which read: 'stop gender based violence at the work place' as they participate in a International Women's Day march in Dhaka. EPA

Activists perform the"one billion rising dance during a protest to commemorate International Women's Day in Manila. AFP

Activists from an indigenous group raise clenched fists during a protest near Malacanang palace to commemorate International Women's Day in Manila. AFP

Cambodian protesters sit in front of police officers during a International Women's Day rally in Phnom Penh. EPA

People hold up banners as thousands march to mark International Women's Day in Melbourne. AFP

A woman shouts slogans as she participates in a feminist march, held to call a halt to the nation's femicide, in Nairobi, on International Women's Day. AFP

An Indian woman holds a child as she begs for money on the side of a busy road in Bangalore, India. EPA

A female soldier of the German Armed Forces pets a dog as she distributes flowers to women during the International Women's Day near the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany. REUTERS

A woman takes part in the "Beauty Run" to mark International Women's Day in the Belarusian capital Minsk. AFP

Women take part in the "Beauty Run" to mark International Women's Day in the Belarusian capital Minsk. AFP

A participant attends a rally, held to support women's rights and to protest against violence towards women, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. REUTERS

Family members apply makeup on an Indian bride before a mass marriage ceremony for eight couples in New Delhi, India, Friday. Mass weddings in India are organized by social organizations primarily to help economically backward families who cannot afford the high ceremony costs as well as the customary dowry and expensive gifts that are still prevalent in many communities. AP Photo

Women take part in a demonstration on the occasion of International Women's Day in Milan, northern Italy. International Women's Day, a focal point in the movement for women's rights, is celebrated on 08 March every year. EPA

Read more coverage of International Women's Day:

UAE campaign invites you to share a life goal once deemed 'crazy'

A time to celebrate the women who made me the man I am today

Dubai climber aims high with Mount Everest

Comment: International Women's Day will remain necessary until worldwide equality is achieved

Comment: The rise of populism is a threat to women everywhere