But of course, as second-class citizens, women almost always have to tread a tricky path to get things done.
KARACHI: Time and again, we have witnessed women’s fundamental rights to equality and freedom severely compromised under the banner of honour.
As women leave the confines of the private realm and step into the public sphere, the inability of the state and society to provide them with safe public spaces has been an issue since time immemorial. It has not only brought gender-based discrimination on the forefront but has paved the way for various forms of harassment that women face on a daily basis.
Living in a country like Pakistan, I have never really stepped into a public space that is solely dedicated to women. In this country, women do not enjoy the same privileges as men do, when it comes to recreation. Be it a platform for leisure purposes or merely loitering around in public, there is nothing women can do without the male gaze making them uncomfortable.
But last Sunday, on International Women’s Day, many women felt empowered. Women from all walks of life marched for their rights at the Aurat March.
But of course, as second-class citizens, women almost always have to tread a tricky path to get things done.
While the heavens did not fall, women reclaiming their space with chants of ‘mera jism meri marzi’ caused great chaos on earth, and in the lives of many men. Many forgot what the slogan actually meant and relied on its overtly sexual undertone to unpack the entire ‘agenda’ of the Aurat March.
Instead of addressing the real issues women face, the focus was shifted to the ‘unchecked freedom’ and the promotion of rebellious attitudes. The controversies started by the fragile misogynists forced Pakistani women into a new struggle – A fight against their own kind – against the female activists of Lal Masjid’s Haya brigade.
Lest I remind you, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head for trying to pursue education, Meesha Shafi was treated as a seductress who tried to malign the character of her harasser, Mehwish Hayat was defamed and criticised for not having done enough for receiving the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz and Dua Mangi was slut-shamed and blamed for her own kidnapping – if instances like these don’t highlight how women are treated as second-class citizens in the Pakistani society, I don’t know what will.
Tehreem M Alam
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2020.
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