Slogan controversy hurting women’s cause: Kashmala

Ceremony to mark International Women's Day held at the President House in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplaces Kashmala Tariq has said the ongoing debate over provocative slogans used by some participants of Aurat March has made the cause of women rights controversial and undermined the saner voices.

“There has been a debate among the people about emboldening women at the cost of established social and cultural norms and instead of securing the position of women in our society… it has rather made it more controversial,” she said while addressing a ceremony to mark the International Women’s Day at the President House in Islamabad on Sunday.

A bold Urdu language slogan Mera Jism, Meri Marzi (My body, my choice) designed for the all-female walk has triggered a backlash, not only from right-wing groups but also form political parties who describe it “obscene” and against the country’s cultural ethos.

The ombudsperson said that the controversial slogans have given a substantial reason to the conservatives to condemn any step taken by the government to create a gender balance and usher in a healthy atmosphere in society to create a deterrence.



“Recently there has been a debate about women empowerment and a group has been proposing radical ideas to ensure women empowerment,” she added.

She lamented that the phenomenon has undermined saner voices in the country “as prudence demands temperance and commands mutual respect and not outright defiance of the entire social fabric”.

Harassment has many dimensions and like other social issues, it can’t be defined easily but to my understanding any factor which coerces a desirable outcome falls in line with definition, Kashmala said.

“It should not always be labelled as something of a sexual nature only but it could be mental and psychological… it could be a sexist or a racist comment which effects any person’s performance at work place in general and of women in particular.”

Harassment has a lot to do with behaviours, perceptions and attitudes which develop over the period of time inculcated by an insensitive mind and shaped by heartless judgmental jargons, she added. “As the issue is complex, it needs to be dealt with a combination of social, legal and awareness framework.“

The federal ombudsperson said that women empowerment has evolved through centuries witnessing many stereotypes and negative jargons.  “Women have stood firm to all unimaginable atrocities and have overcome them with courage and determination.”

She went on to say that women always acted as an agent of change and proved that they can not only sustain their homes but also earn livelihood with self-respect.

“We have recently seen a phenomenal increase in the turnover of women working in different professions.”

She urged men and women in the country to become “agents of change and not agents of neo-radicalism”.