At Karachi's Aurat March, hundreds raise their voices for equal rights
Women, non-binary people, transgender community highlight importance of choice, freedom
Hundreds of participants attend the Aurat March at Frere Hall, holding up signs calling attention to the struggles of marginalised communities. PHOTOS: inp/nni
KARACHI:
Look at the crowd, beamed Qurat Mirza, an organiser of the Aurat March. “We are all united. It’s a movement. And the movement cannot be halted.”
Despite the beating sun, hundreds of participants flooded to Frere Hall on Sunday for the march, held on International Women’s Day. After all, as one of the speakers pointed out, thousands of women workers labour outside their homes in the baking heat all year - the crowd could endure it for a few hours.
Amid tight security, women together with the transgender community, non-binary people and men demanded equal rights for all, highlighting the discrimination they faces and asking the government to ensure the rights enshrined for them in the Constitution.
At the entrance, Sindh police commandos, helped by dozens of volunteers, refused entry to men unaccompanied by women, in order to prevent any untoward incidents. Meanwhile, as a precaution against coronavirus, safety masks were handed out to all entrants, arranged by the South deputy commissioner.
Participants carrying placards and banners shouted slogans focusing on the rights of various communities, and particularly pointing out the importance of choice and freedom.
Mirza pointed out that the march meant to challenge the patriarchy and its associated mindset. “All humans are equal. We are all equal to men,” she asserted. “The country can’t progress until and unless the state allows more than half the population into the system.”
Dr Sorath Sindhu, a participant, explained that it was not men she was opposed to. “I am against the mentality that denies women their due rights. I am participating in a march with a cause,” she stated, stressing the need to educate those who did not understand women’s rights.
Another participant, Asha Lalwani spoke up against the forced conversion of women from minority communities, particularly the Hindu community. “Innocent girls are forcibly abducted and made to convert to Islam. I’m here to say that these girls are also women and they have the same rights as Muslim women do,” she stated, adding that forced conversion had cropped up as a new issue in Sindh.
“It is only my mother who accepts me as a person,” said Nigha, a transgender, highlighting the discrimination faced by the transgender community as the reason for showing solidarity with the march. “We face a host of issues, including derogatory remarks that are thrown at us. We are denied even basic rights.”
Well-known women’s rights activist Sadaf Abid, meanwhile, maintained that a country could not move forward if women were not included in its economy. “Women know their limits. They know how to keep themselves safe,” she added.
Meanwhile, Nisha Khawaja, another marcher, brought attention to the harassment women face, at work and elsewhere. “Ours is a patriarchal society with a patriarchal mindset, but we need equal rights,” she said, adding that while her family supported her, she still had to fight for her rights outside her home.”
She explained that she was from a rural area. “People in my area say girls are given all rights, but that is just not true. We do not get our due rights.”
Later, the participants, along with a large contingent of law enforcement officials marched from Frere Hall to near Avari Tower and back to the venue.
Across the divide
This year, in the third iteration of the Aurat March, some segments of society appeared to be underrepresented. In the last two years, there was massive participation by people belonging to less-privileged areas of the city, such as Ibrahim Hyderi, Lyari and Baldia town. This year, these women were less visible, highlighting the class divide that is pervasive in society.
A group of female domestic workers from Shireen Jinnah Colony, participating in the march, asserted that their employers, who hired them for household work, did not recognise their rights. “We do not get holidays even on religious festivals like Eid; instead, we are given extra work,” pointed out one of them.
Similarly, she said, they are often made to work extra hours, with little care given to their mental and physical health.
They also complained that despite ever-increasing inflation, they did not get pay raises, making their already challenging life even tougher.
Meanwhile, Naila Isha, a resident of Lyari, commented that few women from her locality had come to the march this year. Not only did they fear attacks on the march and a backlash from people in their community, she said, but another problem was that the organisers did not highlight the genuine issues of less privileged sections of society.
“Look at the participants and the slogans,” pointed out Fatima, another participant. “Where are the people who can actually talk about issues such as honour killing, property rights, child marriage and so on?”
For her, the march lacked ‘real’ participation. “The march represents the upper class. It is an elite march,” she maintained.
*Additional information from Kashif Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2020.
Look at the crowd, beamed Qurat Mirza, an organiser of the Aurat March. “We are all united. It’s a movement. And the movement cannot be halted.”
Despite the beating sun, hundreds of participants flooded to Frere Hall on Sunday for the march, held on International Women’s Day. After all, as one of the speakers pointed out, thousands of women workers labour outside their homes in the baking heat all year - the crowd could endure it for a few hours.
Amid tight security, women together with the transgender community, non-binary people and men demanded equal rights for all, highlighting the discrimination they faces and asking the government to ensure the rights enshrined for them in the Constitution.
At the entrance, Sindh police commandos, helped by dozens of volunteers, refused entry to men unaccompanied by women, in order to prevent any untoward incidents. Meanwhile, as a precaution against coronavirus, safety masks were handed out to all entrants, arranged by the South deputy commissioner.
Participants carrying placards and banners shouted slogans focusing on the rights of various communities, and particularly pointing out the importance of choice and freedom.
Mirza pointed out that the march meant to challenge the patriarchy and its associated mindset. “All humans are equal. We are all equal to men,” she asserted. “The country can’t progress until and unless the state allows more than half the population into the system.”
Dr Sorath Sindhu, a participant, explained that it was not men she was opposed to. “I am against the mentality that denies women their due rights. I am participating in a march with a cause,” she stated, stressing the need to educate those who did not understand women’s rights.
Another participant, Asha Lalwani spoke up against the forced conversion of women from minority communities, particularly the Hindu community. “Innocent girls are forcibly abducted and made to convert to Islam. I’m here to say that these girls are also women and they have the same rights as Muslim women do,” she stated, adding that forced conversion had cropped up as a new issue in Sindh.
“It is only my mother who accepts me as a person,” said Nigha, a transgender, highlighting the discrimination faced by the transgender community as the reason for showing solidarity with the march. “We face a host of issues, including derogatory remarks that are thrown at us. We are denied even basic rights.”
Well-known women’s rights activist Sadaf Abid, meanwhile, maintained that a country could not move forward if women were not included in its economy. “Women know their limits. They know how to keep themselves safe,” she added.
Meanwhile, Nisha Khawaja, another marcher, brought attention to the harassment women face, at work and elsewhere. “Ours is a patriarchal society with a patriarchal mindset, but we need equal rights,” she said, adding that while her family supported her, she still had to fight for her rights outside her home.”
She explained that she was from a rural area. “People in my area say girls are given all rights, but that is just not true. We do not get our due rights.”
Later, the participants, along with a large contingent of law enforcement officials marched from Frere Hall to near Avari Tower and back to the venue.
Across the divide
This year, in the third iteration of the Aurat March, some segments of society appeared to be underrepresented. In the last two years, there was massive participation by people belonging to less-privileged areas of the city, such as Ibrahim Hyderi, Lyari and Baldia town. This year, these women were less visible, highlighting the class divide that is pervasive in society.
A group of female domestic workers from Shireen Jinnah Colony, participating in the march, asserted that their employers, who hired them for household work, did not recognise their rights. “We do not get holidays even on religious festivals like Eid; instead, we are given extra work,” pointed out one of them.
Similarly, she said, they are often made to work extra hours, with little care given to their mental and physical health.
They also complained that despite ever-increasing inflation, they did not get pay raises, making their already challenging life even tougher.
Meanwhile, Naila Isha, a resident of Lyari, commented that few women from her locality had come to the march this year. Not only did they fear attacks on the march and a backlash from people in their community, she said, but another problem was that the organisers did not highlight the genuine issues of less privileged sections of society.
“Look at the participants and the slogans,” pointed out Fatima, another participant. “Where are the people who can actually talk about issues such as honour killing, property rights, child marriage and so on?”
For her, the march lacked ‘real’ participation. “The march represents the upper class. It is an elite march,” she maintained.
*Additional information from Kashif Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2020.