‘Seven’ is a documentary play based on the real life stories of seven women's rights activists from Nigeria, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Russia, Pakistan, Northern Ireland and Cambodia. It aims to bring women’s rights issues higher on the political and media agenda, raise awareness and engagement, and to stimulate conversations about improving the status of women. The play has been performed in more than 32 countries around the world.

Also taking part were the ambassadors of the US, Canada, Norway, Sri Lanka, Sweden and Australia.

Meanwhile, staff of the ILO’s Improving Working Conditions in the Ready- Made Garment Sector programme led by gender specialist Shammim Sultana marked the International Women’s Day by making pledges as to how they would support gender equality in 2017. Pledges included ‘I will protest all gender based discrimination’,

I pledge to help my sons be equal towards women’ and ‘Let’s bring an end to the tyranny or toilet inequality’.

To inspire staff members to work towards gender equality, inspiring passages from the works of eminent women’s rights activist Begum Rokey and Facebook Chief Operating officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg were read out. Meanwhile theatre group ‘Bottala’ performed a powerful piece of street theatre named ‘Ar noy Chup thaka’ (No more silence). The show talks about sexual harassment and its consequences on women and why men should change their attitudes towards women and raise their voices against sexual harassment.