Scores of women belonging to all walks of life on Sunday joined the Aurat March to commemorate International Working Women’s Day.
The gathering – including residents of the twin cities, students, residents of slums, domestic workers, lawyers, teachers, lady health workers, and other professionals – was organised at Islamabad's F-9 Park.
The speakers highlighted the injustices women face in their everyday life due to structural disadvantages.
As part of the panel 'health, education and employment for all', a slum resident, Seema Bibi, spoke about the class-based discrimination at the hands of the city elite.
She said, “They keep separate glasses for us to drink water from, but we clean their homes, so are we dirty?"
Seema added that women from my slum work all day long and don't make enough money to even feed our children. "We work in extremely difficult workplaces, but we are harassed, insulted, and discriminated on an everyday basis.”
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The resident lamented that there was no protection for the rights of domestic workers and they face discrimination both by government institutions and the middle- and upper-class residents of the city.
Speaking on the occasion, a housing rights activist, said: “We were moved to H-9 by CDA after a mob attacked our Christian community.
"Now, that the city is “developing” a new road, 10th Avenue. We have been told that our homes will be demolished. We ask, who does this development serve,” the activist asked.
Women Democratic Front (WDF) President Ismat Shahjahan told the participants, “Our feminism stands against the oppression of all kinds. We believe in pro-people politics and stand against all oppressive structures that subjugate people.
"Our struggle is for an equal, just and peaceful society in which no worker is exploited and no woman is assaulted,” she remarked.
A theatre performance was also part of the gathering, which portrayed a utopia where people collectively struggle to build a world free of oppression based on principles of egalitarianism and equality.
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Highlighting the issues of the transgender community, Nayyab Ali, a leader and representative, said: “Our community lives in extremely difficult conditions. We do not have access to housing, education, employment and old-age support."
"Older transgenders have no social protection and many of the young ones are routinely harassed and often killed mercilessly. It is the state’s duty to ensure our right to a dignified life,” Ali added.
While talking about the issues faced by female students on university campuses, Faryal Rashid of the Progressive Students Federation said, “The education policies of the government have severely impacted the students across the country. The rise in fee hikes, unavailability of women-only hostels and campus harassment are serious issues that deter women from assessing higher education.”
Other speakers included Nasreen Azhar of Women's Action Forum (WAF), Alia Amirali of AWP, Rehana Akhtar from PTUDC, and Begum Shameem of Mehnatkash Mahaz. Representatives and members of Muttahida Awami Mahaz, Lady Health Workers Union, Progressive Students Federation, Communist Party, National Party, Mazdoor Kissan Party, PFUJ, PWA, RSF, and HRCP were also present at the gathering.
The participants vowed to continue their struggle for freedom from patriarchy, capitalism, neoliberalism and towards the formation of a socialist, feminist, and equal society.
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