Your Essential Reading List For International Women’s Day

The greatest tool we have is education and that's particularly true for feminism. As we continue down the rabbit hole of online feminism in freefall, where people think activism is donning a #feminist t-shirt and retweeting an Amy Schumer quote, it’s imperative to educate yourself and others on the injustices women face around the world. It’s only by doing this that you can truly understand that activism takes more than a hashtag or a photo-opp.

Online activism only works when it is in tandem with offline grassroots activism. These are often the stories you don’t hear every day, receiving press only when their injustice is a ‘hot topic’. Being informed about the struggles of others, outside your own experience, is integral to living a more feminist life. Hell, it's crucial for just being a better person.

For this reason, we’ve compiled a list of all the issues you need to be informed about. Not only do they help you understand why International Women’s Day is so important, but they’ll give your activism the boost offline it needs, into the real world

We Meet The Northern Irish Women Theresa May Has Betrayed In Her Deal With The DUP

As Theresa May signs a deal with Northern Ireland's DUP The Debrief speaks to the women campaigning for abortion rights in Northern Ireland.

Abortion Is Illegal In Brazil: That Doesn't Mean It's Not Happening, It Means It's Not Safe

Before and after the Zika crisis, the issue of abortion in Brazil is about women having control over their own reproductive choices and their own bodies.

'I Won't Lie, I Can't Lie To You and Say I Am Happy Here.'- What It's Like To Be A 20-Something Syrian Female Refugee Living In Germany

Having fled their war-torn hometown in Syria 23 year-old Zahraa and her mother are refugees, now living in Germany after weeks of travelling they are trying to rebuild their lives and look to the future.

Beware The Faux Awokening: Being Woke Has To Exist Beyond The Hashtags

Boarding the 'right on' train will only get us so far...

Meet The Luchadoras: The Women Taking On Misogyny In Mexico

The name Luchadoras means 'female fighters' and they're taking on sexual harassment and violence in a country where it's thought six women are killed every day.

Mental Healthcare In The UK Has A Huge Race Problem

And there's very little being done about it.

Period Poverty Is Much More Common Than You Think

A Scottish survey has revealed the full extent of period poverty.

My Family And I Rely On Social Housing: Where Will We Live When It Disappears?

An estimated quarter of a million homes gone in just eight years.

Yes, The UK Does Have A Race Problem. And It's Just As Troubling As America's

The UK is slowly waking up to the fact that racism exists here and the truth is, we have just as much of a race problem as the one so prominently associated with the United States' past and present.

Bark, Rags And Newspapers; This Is What Periods Look Like Around The World

You think your period’s bad? Try getting it in rural India...

Why We Need To Speak More Openly About Colourism

The fact that it has taken Matthew Knowles (of all people) using the word to spark mainstream conversations is telling.

The Forgotten Story Of The Women Behind The British Black Panthers

'Let me tell you first of all, I have zero interest in Beyoncé' - Heather Agyepong speaks to Beverley Bryan, a former Black Panther, about the female Black Panthers of Brixton.

8 Things That Happen When You're Young, British And Muslim In The Weeks Following A Terror Attack

'You don't want to step outside your front door, you don't want to go online either...it's lonely as hell being young British and Muslim in the weeks following a terror attack.'

Is This The Toughest Place In Europe To Be A Woman?

The European country where abortion is illegal (except in extreme medical circmtsrances) and a far right-political party has risen to the top.

What Goes On At Yarl's Wood Should Be A National Scandal - So Why Isn't It?

On an industrial estate in Bedfordshire, hundreds of innocent women are being locked up against their will. The Debrief visits Yarl's Wood IRC (Immigration Removal Centre) and discovers a national scandal.

'I Was Embarrassed To Live In That Estate, Now You're Paying £700 A Month To Live There'

The anti-gentrification protests outside East London's Cereal Killer café might have made the news, but it's the tiny part of a much bigger problem...

A History Of Rape Law In The UK

Reports of rape in this country are rising while convictions are falling - but is the issue legal or cultural?

Click through to read more facts about women around the world...

This article originally appeared on The Debrief.