KARACHI:
Throughout history, many movements have emerged and protests taken place in order to fight gender inequality. The same phenomenon has taken over Pakistan during the last few years with the advent of the Aurat March. The million-dollar question, however, is: do these protests make a difference in identifying the real problems facing the women in this country? The answer is no – because the real victims don’t have an issue with cooking or covering themselves. Instead, the real issues are different and much scarier than what the protesters have been raising.
Issue like sexual harassment, rape, domestic violence and illiteracy have long plagued Pakistani society — faced by many but said by none. The ones who protest in the march are the privileged class who don’t quite get the idea of being caged since that have socio-economic freedom to a great degree. The voices of women who are truly struggling either to earn a living or cope with violence and harassment on a daily basis continue to be repressed. As their unspoken echoes reverberate unconsciously through every street corner in the city, they remain unheard. It is time to shed some light on these broken yet resilient figures.
Nudrat Fatima
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2021.
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