On this day, we give tribute to all Asian women who are shining examples of courage and leadership in our long histories of struggles. Women like Lorena Barros, who founded a feminist revolutionary organization and was killed at a young age of 28 in the fight against the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines; Marsinah, who was a trade union leader and activist, tortured and killed when she was 24 years old during the Suharto era in Indonesia; Asma Jahangir, who long served as fierce human rights lawyer and social activist in Pakistan until her death; Yayori Matsui of Japan, for her deep solidarity with women in Asia, and who raised a strong voice against military sexual slavery and her country’s historical injustices.

Women like Medha Patkar, who founded the Narmada Bachao Andolan movement and continues to lead in peoples’ struggles in India; Lahpai Seng Raw, a Kachin leader in Myanmar who continues to fight for a just and peaceful resolution to the many conflicts that the country is facing; Farida Akhter, who is a feminist-social-activist leader of women’s movements and causes in Bangladesh; Malala Yousafzai, who at 15 years old was already fighting for girls’ education in Pakistan and was shot by a military agent; she survived and continued her advocacy and is now the youngest Nobel Peace Prize awardee.

On this day, we most especially honor the countless, nameless women of Asia who serve as untiring leaders and members of movements fighting against all forms of oppression, inequality, and tyranny. We stand proudly alongside them and express our deepest gratitude.

On this day, we renew our commitment to fight against patriarchy. While movements everywhere have won many victories in this fight, women of Asia know that there is still so much more to do. It is a fight we wage inside our homes and families, inside our movements, in our countries and globally.

August 8, 2021

APMDD