60 Stunning Photos Of Women Protesting Around The World

We live in a world where women are still underrepresented in electoral politics, which means we have to fight twice as hard for our voices to be heard.

According to U.N. Women, just 22 percent of parliamentarians around the world are women. As of this past August, 21 women served as the Head of State or Head of Government of their respective countries, and as of January 2015, just 17 percent of government ministers were women.

However, when it comes to grassroots political movements, women are there, making sure they are seen and heard. From American women gathering in Washington, DC to protest police brutality to Pakistani women flooding the streets to speak out against oppressive security crackdowns, these women are a force to be reckoned with.

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8th, we've rounded up gorgeous, emotional and powerful photos of women organizing and protesting all over the world from the last 25 years. Below are 60 images that show just how formidable a woman with convictions can be:

Turkey, 2013

OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images

An anti government protester flashes a victory sign during the clashes between protesters and riot police on Taksim square in Istanbul on June 22, 2013. Turkish police used water cannon today to disperse thousands of demonstrators who had gathered anew in Istanbul's Taksim Square, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

France, 2015

PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

Policemen detain a topless Femen activist after she jumped in front of the car carrying former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn (not seen) upon his arrival for his trial in Lille, northern France, on February 10, 2015. Three topless women from the protest group Femen jumped on the car of Dominique Strauss-Kahn as the former IMF chief arrived to testify at his trial for "aggravated pimping." With slogans scrawled on their half-naked bodies and hurling insults at the car, the three protesters were quickly rounded up by police as the car entered an underground parking area.

Macedonia, 2015

ARMEND NIMANI/AFP/Getty Images

Migrants protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija, on December 1, 2015. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia on November 29 finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of migrants.

India, 2007

Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Kashmiri women shout anti-Indian slogans during a protest demonstration against the arrest of a girl by paramilitary soldiers during a raid in Maloora, in the outskirts of Srinagar, India, Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007. Paramilitary soldiers fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of angry protesters demonstrating against the arrest.

United States, 2014

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

A woman listens to a rally with her mouth taped shut during the "Justice For All" march December 13, 2014 in Washington, DC. Thousands of people descended on Washington to demand justice Saturday for black men who have died at the hands of white police, the latest in weeks of demonstrations across the United States.

France, 2015

THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images

Topless Femen activists perform the Nazi salute near flags reading "Heil Le Pen" as they demonstrate on a balcony against France's far-right Front National (FN) political party during an FN rally in honour of Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) taking place just below in Paris on May 1, 2015.

Honduras, 2009

Jose CABEZAS/AFP/Getty Images

Supporters of ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya march in protest against the military coup, in Tegucigalpa on July 2, 2009. Coup leaders in Honduras vowed that ousted President Manuel Zelaya will "never return to power" despite mounting international pressure and an ultimatum by the Organization of American States.

South Korea, 2015

Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images

A woman sits in front of riot police blocking the road to protect protesters during the anti-government protest on April 24, 2015 in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) went on a general strike in protest against the South Korean government's policy, including reformation of the labor market and public pension system. The rally was also joined by other civic groups in Seoul and families of Sewol accident victims.

India, 2013

Ajay Aggarwal/Hindustan Times/Getty Images

BJP Mahila Morcha protest outside Delhi Chief Minister residence against failure of Delhi Government on October 8, 2013 in New Delhi, India. Assembly elections will be held in the national capital Dec 4 with over 11.5 million voters eligible to cast their ballots in 70 constituencies.

United Kingdom, early 2000s

PYMCA/UIG/Getty Images

Two punk girls, cheering, Reclaim the Streets, demo, UK 2000s.

China, 2009

PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Ethnic Uygur women grab a riot policemen as they protest in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009. Police fired clouds of acrid tear gas to disperse thousands of Han Chinese protesters armed with makeshift weapons, as chaos gripped this flashpoint city riven by ethnic tensions. Thousands of heavily armed police deployed across Urumqi, the capital of China's remote northwest Xinjiang region, but tensions spiked dramatically following weekend rioting that claimed at least 156 lives.

United Kingdom, 2012

JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/GettyImages

Women bearing provocative words on their bodies take part in a "slut walk" in London on September 22, 2012 to protest against the police and courts' denial of justice for rape victims.

United States, 2015

Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

Protesters including Sherry Weston of Denver, Colorado demonstrate outside of Bill Cosby's comedy show on January 17, 2015 at the Buell Theater in Denver, Colorado. Cosby has been facing allegations by numerous women who claim the comedian drugged and sexually assaulted them.

Pakistan, 2010

ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images

Pakistani protesters from Lyari, an impoverished neighbourhood of the city, shout anti-government slogans to protest against an operation led by security agencies in their areas in Karachi on January 11, 2010. Thousands of people poured into the streets of Pakistan's financial capital Karachi on January 11 to protest security crackdowns following the deaths of dozens of people in a wave of political violence. Security officials say up to 48 political party workers have been killed in Karachi beginning January 7, when the headless body of a worker from the city's main political party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was discovered.

Brazil, 2007

Ricardo Moraes/AP

A police officer aims a machine gun at a woman as people protest beside a body killed during a shootout involving police and suspected drug traffickers at the Complexo de Alemao slum in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2007. The violence comes just before the city's Carnival celebrations next Feb 18 and Feb 19. Rio is one of the most violent cities in the world with an annual homicide rate of about 50 per 100,000.

Brazil, 1992

ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP/Getty Images

Women call for the impeachment of Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello during an anti-Collor student demonstration in the suburb of Taquatinga, Brazil 20 km from Brasilia 25 August. A congressional report released 24 August 1992 charged Collor with widespread corruption.

India, 2015

Yawar Nazir/ Getty Images

Kashmiri Muslim women shout anti Indian and pro Kashmir freedom slogans as they mourn during the funeral of Bilal Ahmad Bhat, 23, a civilian who was allegedly shot dead by Indian paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) on August 12, 2015 in Larkipur, 35 km (21 miles) south of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Hundreds of Kashmiris participated in the funeral of Bhat who was killed by the Indian paramilitary BSF after they allegedly opened fire on the protestors who were protesting against the killing of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Righteous), one of the largest and most active militant organization operating in Indian administered Kashmir, militants in an gun battle in Rakh-e-Lajura village of south Kashmir district on 11 August 2015.

Spain, 2009

DOMINIQUE FAGET/AFP/Getty Images

Women display placards during a demonstration to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Madrid on November 25, 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo, 2006

LIONEL HEALING/AFP/Getty Images

A policeman kicks a woman during a demonstration with a group of the main opposition Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) demonstrators, 30 June 2006, in Kinshasa. A major dialogue involving the political elite of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the president down was set to open Friday to ensure a smooth run-up to the country's first democratic elections in 45 years.

Afghanistan, 2015

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images

Afghan demonstrators shout slogans during a rally in front of the Supreme Court in Kabul on March 24, 2015, held to protest the killing of Afghan resident Farkhunda. More than a thousand people protested in the Afghan capital to call for justice after a woman was brutally killed by a mob who falsely accused her of burning a copy of the Koran. The woman, 27 year-old Farkhunda, was beaten with sticks and stones and thrown from a roof before being run over by a car outside a mosque in Kabul on March 19. The mob then set her body ablaze and dumped it in Kabul river, while police allegedly looked on.

Democratic Republic of Congo, 2012

ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/GettyImages

Female members of associations against violence towards women in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo hold up leaflets to protest against ongoing violence during the opening of the Francophonie summit in Kinshasa on October 13, 2012. France's President Francois Hollande stressed human rights and the need to end the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as leaders of French-speaking nations met for a summit today.

France, 2016

Zacharie Scheurer/AP

A Femen activist, Sarah Constantin, is hanged from a noose-like rope from a Paris bridge to call attention to the large number of executions in Iran as she stages a protest against visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Paris, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016. A near-naked woman hanging from a noose-like rope from a Paris bridge has sent a message to visiting Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Ivory Coast, 2011

Rebecca Blackwell/AP

Women pray as they face off against soldiers in an unauthorized protest calling for Laurent Gbagbo to step down, in the Treichville neighborhood of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Monday, Feb. 28, 2011. Within minutes of the end of prayers, soldiers began firing to disperse the protestors. In a dramatic escalation of the nation's conflict, Belarus has violated an international arms embargo by sending three attack helicopters to military forces supporting Ivory Coast's longtime ruler who refuses to cede power, alleged a Sunday statement issued by the office of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

United States, 1991

Porter Gifford/Liaison/Getty Images

Women protest at the National Organization for Women Pro-Choice rally June 15, 1991 in New York City. In 1967 NOW became the first national organization to call for the legalization of abortion and for the repeal of all anti-abortion laws and has been fighting for full reproductive rights for all women, including poor women and young women.

Mexico, 2005

JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images

Naked women, from the "400 People Movement", protest at the entrance of the Presidential residence of Los Pinos in Mexico City, against the expropriation of their lands by federal deputies,16 May 2005.

United States, 2000

Miami Herald/Getty Images

A Woman Demonstrating On Behalf Of Elian Gonzalez Remaining In The United States Is Hoisted Into The Air April 13, 2000 By Fellow Supporters Of Elian, Outside The Little Havana, Miami Home Where Gonzalez Is Staying.

India, 2010

Yawar Nazir/Getty Images

Kashmiri women shout anti Indian slogans during the funeral of Mehraj-u-Din Lone after he was killed by Indian police during a demonstration on August 3, 2010 in Srinagar the summer capital of Indian administered Kashmir, India. Four people were killed on Tuesday when government troops fired bullets and tear gas into thousands of anti-India protesters during a demonstration by Kashmiris against the Indian rule in Kashmir.

India, 2010

Nagesh Ohal/India Today Group/Getty Images

Semi-nude Indian Devadasi women shout anti-government slogans during a protest in Mumbai on August 15, 2010. The protest was to demand Indian Rupees 2000 (about USD 43) per month as a pension for life after their retirement. Devadasi is a Hindu religious practice in which girls are married and dedicated to a deity or temple.

Thailand, 2008

Yvan Cohen/LightRocket/Getty Images

Student supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) marching through the streets of Bangkok towards Democracy Monument. The PAD, which opposes Thailand's elected government under Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, has sought to widen its appeal to younger sections of the population. The movement originally sprang up in opposition to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was finally ousted by a military coup in September 2006. PAD activists, thousands of whom are occupying government house, argue that the government of Mr. Samak is a front for Thaksin and represents a corrupt political tradition that must be removed. Violent clashes between PAD and pro-government supporters resulting in a death prompted the government to declare a state of emergence in the Thai capital Bangkok.

Australia, 2015

Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

A woman is removed by police from the Martin Place stage after storming the area to speak out against 'Reclaim Australia' protesters on April 4, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. 'Reclaim Australia' grassroots rallies are being held across Australia to protest the alleged 'Islamisation' of Australia.

Bolivia, 2015

JORGE BERNAL/AFP/Getty Images

Members of the Mujeres Creando (Women Creating) activist women group dressed as nuns who were protesting against the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Bolivia, are taken away by police in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral in La Paz, on July 6, 2015. Pope Francis, in South America on a three-nation tour, will perform mass in Ecuador Monday, with more than a million faithful -- many of whom camped out overnight -- expected to attend.

Ivory Coast, 2008

ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP/Getty Images

Women protest against growing cost of daily living conditions on March 31, 2008 in Yopougon, neighborhood of Abidjan. Police used tear gas to disperse the several hundred people, mainly women, protesting.

Venezuela, 2015

JUAN BARRETO/AFP/Getty Images

The wife of jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, Lilian Tintori (C) and relatives of political prisoners pose inside a mock prison cell during a protest in Caracas on December 14, 2015. The Venezuelan opposition defined this Friday The Roadmap will continue absolute control of the future Parliament , focused on the release of their imprisoned leaders and economic reform , but President Nicolas Maduro rejected them in advance to rule out a reconciliation .

India, 1996

TAUSEEF MUSTAFA/AFP/Getty Images

Muslim women in purdah opposed to the state's upcoming assembly elections flee teargas during a demonstration 03 September 1996 in Srinagar.

Argentina, 2002

FABIAN GREDILLAS/AFP/Getty Images

A woman shouts slogans during a nationwide protest against government-imposed restrictions on access to bank accounts and to demand that Supreme Court justices step down, 25 January 2002, in Buenos Aires. Protests continue regularly since the country defaulted on its international debt last month and Argentine President Eduardo Duhalde froze some 65 billion USD in savings accounts to prevent a run on banks that could worsen the country's dire financial straits.

India, 2008

RAVEENDRAN/AFP/Getty Images

Indian policemen restrain a Tibetan woman during a demonstration at the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi on March 12, 2008 on the occasion of the Tibetan Women's Uprising Day. Some 49 Tibetan women, holding Tibetan flags attempted to enter the Chinese embassy premises in a protest marking Tibetan Women's Uprising Day.

France, 1993

Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A group protesters with painted faces at an anti-fascist demonstration in Paris, France, February 1993.

Belarus, 2015

SERGEI GAPON/AFP/Getty Images

Pregnant women cross a road as they parade in central Minsk on August 30, 2015.

Ecuador, 2010

PABLO COZZAGLIO/AFP/Getty Images

An Afro-Ecuadorean woman argues with police guarding a fence in front of the National Assembly in Quito on May 5, 2010 in protest of a proposed water privatization law that could impact the country's indigenous population. The protesters argued that the law would allow mining and electric generating firms to divert water that is otherwise available to the indigenous groups. They are seeking a special counsel to govern water rights.

India, 2010

ROUF BHAT/AFP/Getty Images

Kashmiri women shout pro-freedom slogans during a protest in Srinagar on July 16, 2010. Indian security forces reimposed a strict curfew in Kashmir's main city July 16 after a decision to ease restrictions for the first time in five days led to huge street protests. The clampdown was briefly lifted on July 15 and thousands took to the streets of Kashmir's summer capital Srinagar to denounce the Indian security forces, who are accused of killing Kashmiris during recent protests against Indian rule.

China, 2009

PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese riot police watch a Muslim ethnic Uighur woman protest in Urumqi in China's far west Xinjiang province on July 7, 2009 following a third day of unrest. Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of Han Chinese protesters armed with makeshift weapons and vowing revenge, as chaos gripped this flash-point city riven by ethnic tensions following rioting that claimed at least 156 lives. Authorities ordered a night curfew and thousands of heavily armed police deployed across Urumqi.

Turkey, 2011

MUSTAFA OZER/AFP/Getty Images

Kurdish women hold portraits of their missing sons and daughters on May 18, 2011 during a demonstration in Istanbul against the recent killing of 12 Kurdish rebels by security forces. Turkish troops killed 12 Kurdish rebels in fighting in the southeast of the country and lost one of their own soldiers to a mine explosion. The clashes began on May 12 when fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) tried to cross into Turkey's Sirnak province near Uludere from bases in Iraq, security sources said. A second attempt was made on May 13, the sources said, adding that 12 rebels in total had been killed, four surrendered and numerous weapons seized.

Poland, 2011

JANEK SKARZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Polish women take part in a Breastfeeding Is Not Obscene protest in Warsaw's subway on June 15, 2011 in reaction to a ban imposed by city officials on an art project, portraying breastfeeding mothers. The project was supposed to have been displayed in the subway.

West Bank, 2004

JAMAL ARURI/AFP/Getty Images

A Muslim school girl holds a portrait of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and a national flag as she joins other women among hundreds of demonstrators protesting the construction of the controversial Israeli "security fence" which goes over their land in the West Bank village of Budrus, some 15 kms west of Ramallah 01 January 2004. Clashes erupted after foreigners and Palestinians protested next to the construction site.

India, 2011

STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images

Indian policemen and activists from the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) clash during a demonstration in Guwahati on June 22, 2011, held to protest against the government’s drive to evict settlers on government land, in Guwahati on June 22, 2011. According to media reports, three people were killed and several injured in the clash between the police and members of KMSS.

Cuba, 2012

ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images

Activists of the Ladies in White opposition group protest against the Cuban government, on February 23, 2012 in Havana. The group commemorate the 2nd Anniversary of Cuban political prisoner Orlando Zapata's death in jail.

Turkey, 2012

ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images

Turkish women chant slogans during a protest on the International Women's Day in Ankara on, March 8, 2012.

India, 2012

SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/GettyImages

A woman joins others in voicing her opposition to Chinese government intervention in Tibet during a protest in New Delhi on May 23, 2012. The protest was called to mark and oppose the 61st anniversary of the '17-Point Agreement' between Tibet and China which the protesters say was signed by the Chinese government and the Tibetan government under duress on 23 May 1951. The 14th Dalai Lama has repudiated the agreement on many occasions.

Turkey, 2012

ADEM ALTAN/AFP/GettyImages

Women hold signs as they take part in a demonstration against government plans to ban or limit the practice of abortion in Turkey, on June 17, 2012, in Ankara. Some of the signs read "Illegal abortion kills, not legal abortion". A majority of Turks oppose a ban on abortion as the Islamist-rooted government moves to try and limit the practice, according to a survey published on June 11. A total of 55.5 percent said they opposed a ban, while the remaining 44.5 percent were for it, according to the Konsensus research centre poll conducted among 1,500 people between May 24 and June 6, Haberturk daily reported.

Spain, 2012

DANI POZO/AFP/GettyImages

A bare breast protester holds a placard reading "Love unites us, we are all equal, we were born free and we will die free" during a demonstration organized by Spain's "indignant" protesters, a popular movement against a political system that they say deprives ordinary Spaniards of a voice in the crisis, near the parliament building in Madrid on September 29, 2012. Helmeted riot police fired rubber bullets and baton-charged protesters on September 25, 2012 as thousands rallied near parliament in anger at the economic crisis, in clashes that left at least 14 people wounded.

Spain, 2016

Marcos del Mazo/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

Women protesting against gender-based violence during a demonstration on Valentines Day in Madrid, Spain on Feb. 14, 2016.

United Kingdom, 2012

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Campaigners, some dressed as suffragettes, attend a rally organized by UK Feminista to call for equal rights for men and women on October 24, 2012 in London, England. Hundreds of women from around the UK congregated in Westminster to attend a rally and lobby their local MPs to demonstrate against any legislation that damages women's rights.

Algeria, 1998

AFP/Getty Image

A woman gestures to riot policemen during a protest organized by the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) in Algiers 02 July against a new law making Arabic the sole official language in Algeria amid continued tension over the murder of Berber singer Lounes Matoub. Around 1,000 people took part in the rally during which three policemen and one protester were injured when riot police prevented the marchers to advance on the residence of President Liamine Zeroual.

Serbia, 2005

Marko Drobnjakovic/AP

A member of the "Women in Black", an international peace network, lays on the ground wrapped in a plastic bag, as a sign of protest in downtown Novi Sad, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro, Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005. The movement marked Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day, with a performance, stressing issues such as rights of minorities in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina.

Philippines, 2008

Bullit Marquez/AP

Women workers of Triumph International, the largest undergarment manufacturer in the Philippines, toss bras and panties in the air during an "underwear protest" Wednesday Oct.15, 2008 at the company's sales warehouse at Manila's financial district of Makati. The hundreds of protesters walked out of their factory following a deadlock in the negotiation for better wages and other benefits.

India, 2009

Mustafa Quraishi/AP

Members of "gulabi gang," (pink gang), a women's vigilante group, shout slogans at a protest in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 as they demand a separate Bundelkhand state. The group so named after the pink dress that they wear was formed in Uttar Pradesh State's Banda district. The women brandish sticks and fight for social issues.

Belgium, 2015

Virginia Mayo/AP

A woman throws eggs at riot police during a farmers demonstration in Brussels on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015. European dairy farmers demonstrated in Brussels on Monday to protest against what they believe are unfair prices on their dairy products.

Turkey, 2016

ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Image

Turkish members of the "One Billion Rising" movement, dance during a demonstration to denounce violence and injustices against women, on Valentine's Day in Ankara, on February 14, 2016.

Nigeria, 2016

PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images

A woman holds a placard reading "Hike in tariff is capitalist fraud" during a demonstration to protest against the 45 percent raise of electricity prices on February 8, 2016 in Lagos. Labour unions under the umbrella of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) in collaboration with civil society groups and students organized a protest rally to reject the recent increase in electricity tariffs, which became effective on Feb. 1, 2016.

Peru, 2016

Sebastian Casta/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Peruvian andean women, victims of forced sterilizations during the administration of Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori, attend a protest in Lima, capital of Peru, on February 10, 2016. During the government of Alberto Fujimori, forced sterilizations were performed on thousands of women as part of the mid-1990s program of former president Alberto Fujimori who argued that a lower birth rate was crucial to eliminating poverty in Peru.

Correction: This entry initially incorrectly identified Minsk as a city in Russia. It is in fact the capital of Belarus.