The International Women's Day celebrations held last Sunday had given women around the world the chance to air their call for greater equality.

Women organizations around the world selected their themes for the day, depending on relevant local events in their countries.

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Women in India joined in car and bike runs to seek justice and safety for women while Filipino women held a protest in Manila to ask for minimum wage increases.

A group of men who joined in the day's activities in Afghanistan wore 'burkas' to express their support for women's rights while demonstrations were also held in Turkey, Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

In a statement on Sunday for the occasion, U.S. President Barack Obama said, "the gap between women's inherent value and how many of them are treated every day is one of the great injustices of our time."

He vowed to continue implementing policies that ensure that women and girls are treated as "full and equal human beings in rights and dignity."

Palestinian women held their demonstrations for the International Women's day on Saturday by marching at Qalandia checkpoint, between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.

The women called for the end of Israeli occupation, the end of Gaza siege, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

In Istanbul, Turkey, activists dedicated their activities to a 20-year-old girl who was killed while resisting a sexual assault.

Several women marched through the streets of Istanbul carrying images of the victim, Ozgecan Aslan, who died last month.

Her death sparked a series of nationwide protests that demand an end to violence against women in Turkey.

After joining the day's protest, textile worker Gunay said there was a feeling of empowerment among women.

"We are women. We are equal. We are free. Today, we are having big laughter. We are wearing mini-skirts. We are dressing up in lots of colors," she said.

She added, "women are no one's slave. They are beautiful."

A recent survey indicates that 45 percent of women in Turkey have suffered violent attacks from men. Among the women who had fallen victims, 67 percent said they did not report these incidents to the police.

Tagsinternational women's day, Violence Against Women