To celebrate International Women's Day, men and women around the world are marking the occasion by organising talks, performances, rallies, marches and networking events, calling for this year's campaign #PressforProgress.

Already today, a statue of rent strike heroine Mary Barbour has been unveiled in Glasgow's Govan parliamentary constituency, the number of female solicitors in England and Wales has surpassed men, and the International Women's Day flag is flying proudly over parliament for the first time.

However, following the recent release of the World Economic Forums' Global Gender Gap Report showing that it will take 217 years to close the gender parity gap, it's more important than ever that progress, gender parity and inclusivity is championed by the lawmakers as much as it is the change makers (aka you).

But if you can't make it down to your local march or feminist performance today, fear not.

Here's five petitions you can sign to show support for the sisterhood:

1. Make 'Upskirting' Illegal

Last year, copywriter Gina Martin spotted a picture of her crotch on a man's phone while at a festival. However, when the Met Police informed her they couldn't punish the photographer because 'upskirting' isn't an illegal act, she launched a petition calling for the disgusting activity to be added to the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

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The petition has since amassed over 83,081 supporters and has resulted in the police re-opening Gina's case. But, she still needs your help to make the law deem 'upskirting' a sexual offence.

Keep the pressure up and ensure the men involved in Gina's case are charged and prosecuted.

Sign the petition and read Gina's story here.

2. End Period Poverty In The UK

Single-handedly fighting for teenage girls to be given the right to free sanitary products in the UK, North London resident Amika George first felt empowered to make a change when she learned that girls regularly miss school because they can't afford sanitary products.

'I couldn't believe what I'd read,' she tells ELLE UK, 'and it wasn't just Leeds, it was something that was happening on my doorstep too.'

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ALICE SKINNER/@WHOTHEFUCKISALICE

In April 2017, she launched her campaign – #FreePeriods – which petitions the UK Government to give free sanitary products to children on free school meals.

So far, the campaign has garnered 150,771 signatures and is still in need of support.

Sign the petition here.

3. Campaign For Interracial Couple Emojis

Us millennials love nothing more than dropping the awkward smiling face or aubergine emoji into WhatsApp conversation with our mates.

However, while emojis might be seen as a light-hearted form of communication for us digital savvy techies, there are countless members of our society who fail to see themselves represented by emoji consortium Unicode.

And that has got to change.

According to a recent survey conducted by Tinder, 52 per cent of the 4,244 adults aged 25-45 surveyed felt that interracial couples weren't well-represented in the tech language of emojis, GIFS, and memes.

Asa result, Tinder has launched a petition to make sure that everyone in our society feels the love and is campaigning for an Interracial Couple Emoji.

With over 38,427 and counting, it's about time we made emojis that represent us all.

Sign the petition here.

4. Break The 'Bronze Ceiling'

Over 90 per cent of London's monuments celebrate men, despite the fact we now have a population of 51 per cent women.

And that's why politicians Jeremy Corbyn, Andrew Adonis, Tom Watson and Vince Cable have come together to sign a petition – launched today – to celebrate the life and legacy of Mary Wollstonecraft by getting her immortalised in a statue.

As the author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - one of the first pieces of literature calling for gender equality - the Enlightenment thinker was calling for women not 'to have power over men but over themselves' over 250 years ago.

With Suffragette Millicent Fawcett's statue schedule for unveiling in April, it's about time she had another sister in her (statue) midst.

Sign the petition to see a statute of Wollstonecraft in Newington Green, London (where she lived) here.

5. Support victims of sexual harassment, assault and abuse

From the BAFTAs to the Golden Globes, this years award ceremony red carpets proved the perfect platform for Hollywood to raise awareness of the Time's Up initiative, fighting sexual discrimination, harassment and assault.

According to its website, Time's Up addresses 'the systemic inequality and injustice in the workplace that have kept underrepresented groups from reaching their full potential'.

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Partnering with advocates for equality and safety to improve laws and employment agreements, the movement hopes to change the face of businesses and enable more women and men access to legal systems to hold wrongdoers - be it of sexual harassment, assault or abuse - accountable.

In the words of the organisation: 'No more silence. No more waiting. No more tolerance for discrimination, harassment or abuse.'

Show your support and donate to the Time's Up Fund here.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.