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As we commemorate International Women’s Day on 8th March, the Rural Women’s Assembly stands firm in resistance and solidarity with millions of rural women who continue to fight against systemic oppression, exploitation, and exclusion. This is not a day for symbolic gestures or empty rhetoric. In the present conjuncture, many of the gains that the women’s movement have made such as our reproductive rights and control over our bodies are under attack. Thus, it is a day to amplify our voices, to reclaim our power, and to demand transformation. For generations, rural women have been the backbone of societies—feeding nations, defending the land, preserving indigenous knowledge, and holding communities together. Yet, we continue to remain trapped in cycles of poverty, denied ownership of the land we cultivate, overworked and underpaid, and subjected to violence, discrimination, and exclusion from political and economic decision-making. The world’s wealth is built on our labour, yet we are the poorest.
Since its first commemoration in 1911, International Women’s Day has served as a powerful reminder of the many challenges women continue to face—challenges that remain all too real for rural women worldwide, even more than a century later. While we celebrate our resilience, we must also emphasise that true empowerment is not just a goal but a vital tool for driving meaningful change. Empowerment is the key to creating transformative shifts across social, economic, and political landscapes. For rural women, empowerment is not merely an issue of fairness—it is essential to building strong, sustainable, and resilient communities. When rural women are empowered, the positive impact ripples outward, benefiting families, societies, and entire nations. Achieving equity for rural women is not only a matter of justice but a necessary step toward a more sustainable and thriving world for everyone.
Our resistance is not new. Across continents, rural women are mobilising, organising, and demanding justice. From the women farmers in Africa resisting corporate land grabs, to the fisherwomen in Asia fighting for their rights, to the indigenous women in Latin America standing against extractivist industries—we are in constant struggles that challenge the very foundations of capitalism, patriarchy, and neocolonialism. We refuse to be tokenised in policies that do not shift power. We are not interested in mere representation or inclusion into a system built to oppress us. What we demand is structural change—land redistribution, food sovereignty, an end to gender-based violence, and economic justice.
Our demands are clear:
Land with water for those who work it, not corporations and elites! We demand land with water redistribution and recognition of women’s land rights.
End economic exploitation! We call for fair wages, social protection, and reparations for the unpaid and undervalued labor of rural women.
No climate justice without gender justice! Rural women are at the forefront of climate struggles, yet our voices are ignored in decision-making. We demand a feminist climate agenda that protects our livelihoods.
End gender-based violence! From our homes to our workplaces, we will not accept violence as a norm. We demand justice, accountability, and protection.
Promote agroecology and food sovereignty! We call for support and investment in sustainable agricultural practices led by rural women. Agroecology not only enhances food sovereignty but also protects the environment and strengthens our communities’ resilience.
Political power in our hands! We are not passive recipients of policies—we are the policymakers! Women’s leadership in decision-making is not a privilege; it is a right.
Collective action is fundamental; we must strengthen our commitments to expand the voices of rural women, integrating their ideas into the policy formulation processes. We call on the global movement to stand with rural women—not just in words, but in action. Solidarity must mean a redistribution of power and resources. It must mean standing against capitalist, racist, and patriarchal systems that have perpetually continued to exploit and erase us. This International Women’s Day, we recognise that the fight continues, and we will not stop until all our sisters are free.
No liberation without rural women! No justice without radical change!