Women march for freedom, equality

KARACHI:

Raising a voice for the oppressed, hundreds of women from different localities of the port city assembled near Mazar-e-Quaid, amid tight security, to celebrate the Aurat March. The event was held to mark International Women's Day on Tuesday. The participants, after a march on MA. Jinnah Road, held a sit-in near Capri Cinema to demand equal rights and an end to social discrimination. Law enforcing agencies blocked all the roads around the Jinnah Ground where the main procession started at around 3pm.

The Aurat March organisers have been arranging the event annually since 2018 in the city. All the four previous assemblies were held at Frere Hall.

"We wanted to come in the middle of the city to provide easy access to all women," commented Sheema Kirmani, one of the organisers. She told The Express Tribune that it was a successful march. "This is a bigger space than our last ones," she added, saying there is always a threat to such events arranged for the rights of women.

"It's a male dominated society," Nargis, a participant, said. "We just want our due rights - nothing else and, yes, nothing special," she stated.

The participants, with men among them, held placards with the slogans "Main aurat hoon, tumare baap ki jageer nahin" (I am a woman, not your father's property), "Hafte mein aik din, mere aram ka din" [One day in a week is for my rest).

Verbal slogans, some of which were carried over from the previous years, included "Mera jism, meri marzi' (My body, my wish) and "Hai haq hamara azadi" (Freedom is our right).

The activists also raised a voice against discrimination, harassment, as well as social, political and economic biases against women. They demanded that the government treat women and men equally.

"Pakistan is for everyone, not only for men," Shazia Athar, another participant said. Athar stated that though she has never faced any discrimination, the majority of women are in miserable conditions.

Women from Ismail Goth, Gujjar Nala, Ibrahim Haider, Korangi, Lyari, Noth Karachi, Malir, Keamari, Clifton, DHA and all sorts of areas, from the underprivileged to the posh, attended the march.

"I have come here to request everyone to save my home," said an elderly woman from Ismail Goth. She said that it was difficult for her to build a home for her children. "They [the government] want to demolish it," she said.

A victim of Gujjar Nullah said that hundreds of families have been displaced, but were never rehabilitated. She said that her presence in the march was to highlight the issues women have been facing after such demolition drives.

"This is the only time we meet and tell the world we exist," said a transgender person. "We are also victims of this society like these women here," she added.

Carrying placards along with her four daughters, Shazia Khan demanded a safe, secure and peaceful society for her daughters.

A large number of male participants also attended the event, showing solidarity with their women peers.

Women termed symbol of resistance

Despite all oppression, a woman is a rising as a symbol of resistance. She is not only fighting for her own freedom, but also for economic and political freedom of the oppressed classes of society. Now it is the aim of the women's movement to uproot every anti-women law and tradition. This is why the freedom of society is linked to the freedom of the woman.

Read More: Women face barriers to financial services

These views were expressed by women worker leaders who addressed a huge rally art the Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) for International Women's Day.

A large number of worker women, students and social activists attended the rally led by Comrade Zehra Khan. Carrying red flags, posters and banners, they chanted the slogan of "Peace, bread and equality".

The rally started from the Fawara Chowk and ended at the Arts Council. Later, women workers presented their cultural show at the Arts Council.

Addressing the rally, Khan said that violence against women has gone up to an alarming level. "Women are not safe in homes, streets, neighbourhoods, factories, offices and educational institutions," she stressed.

The activist said that as per an estimate, more than 70 per cent of women face domestic violence. She continued that in terms of violent actions against women, especially murders, Pakistan is the third most dangerous country of the world. "Every fifth woman, murdered under so-called honour killing, belongs to Pakistan."

She further said that in educational institutions of Pakistan, incidents of harassment and violence against female students and women employees have grown sharply. "However, cases of murders and suspicious suicides are being also reported continuously. Besides women, children and transgender people are also facing sexual violence."

The labour leaders pointed out that hundreds of thousands of women working in farms are forced to toil in slavery-like conditions in the 21st century. They pointed out that these females are compelled to forced work without any wages.

It was stated that non-Muslim girls belonging to working class are living in fear. The leaders said that this marginalised segment of society is subjected to forced conversions and forced marriages. As per an estimate, about 1,000 Hindu and Christian girls are subjected to forced conversions and marriages every year in the country.

Sindh Commission on Status of Women's Nuzhat Shireen said that in this region, females are the most affected segment of society due to wars and terrorism in the name of religion. "Millions of women and children are forced to migrate and live in miserable conditions," she highlighted. "Similarly, disappearance of political and social workers is also affecting the women mentally and economically. They are strongly protesting against these cruelties."

 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2022.