During the commemoration of World’s International Women’s Day, women have been asked to take the leading role in making sure that women’s rights are being observed to.

The commemoration was held in Blantyre and Mzuzu on Sunday.

One of the organizers of the march in Blantyre, Angali Chagwamnjira, said it was high time women stood up for their rights.

“Women are meeting a lot of hurdles. Some are even being abused, but they don’t report such cases because they are told they will lose everything if they do. I want to encourage women to love each other and ensure that such cases are no longer happening,” Chagwamnjira said.

Retired magistrate Esmie Tembenu urged women not to be dependent on their husbands for financial stability.

“A woman who is running her own business will rarely be abused by her husband. He will know not to mess with her because she is independent,” Tembenu said.

The day ended with family activities held at Blantyre Sports Club.

Similar activities took place in Mzuzu where the event started with a solidarity march from Mzuzu Education Division Manager’s office to Katoto Ground where activities such as motivation talks and dances took place.

One of the organisers, Mercy Diniwa said they were not worried by the low patronage of the event as it was being held for the first time in the city.

“We tried to reach to a lot of people through social media to create awareness, but we don’t know what happened. Maybe since it is the first time, people were taking it for granted. But we hope that next year, we will do better,” Diniwa said.

Guest of honour, Mzuzu E-hub Chief Executive Officer, Wangiwe Kambudzi, urged women to support one another to achieve equality.

“As women, we shouldn’t be in competition with one another but rather be supportive. There are cultural norms and silence that we need to break because they deprive women or other people that are vulnerable.

Women are capable of doing anything just like men,” she said.

This year’s event has been commemorated under the theme: ‘I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”.

The day was set aside by the United Nations in 1975 to promote women’s rights and participation in political, social and economic sphere.