On March 7, 2013—the day before International Women’s Day—President Obama signed into law the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), this time with added protections for the LGBT community and immigrant and Native American women. However, budget cuts implemented as part of Congress’s sequestration deal threaten to underfund the program. If the cuts go forward as planned, programs funded by VAWA could lose more than $20 million, potentially leaving 35,927 victims without access to much-needed services.

Reports indicate that President Obama and Congress may be working out a deal to end the sequester. This International Women’s Day, tell your representatives that domestic violence victims cannot be used as bargaining chips. Demand that any deal to avert the sequester restores full funding to VAWA programs.

This history of IWD in words and images shows the struggles that went into establishing the holiday and how the day has helped galvanize support for a long-term feminist agenda.

This video captures the journey of women’s rights from 1911 to the present, and key moments of the women’s movements globally.