Aurat March 2023: Women In Pakistan Fight For Safe Public Spaces, Equal Opportunities, Eradication Of Poverty

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They say that time changes things, but actually, it is we who have to change them for ourselves. While gender equality is a human fight and not a woman's fight.

Be it police baton charges, anti-feminist marches or the harsh scrutiny online, there is nothing that the women in Pakistan haven't seen in the past year and yet armed with courage they left their homes to fight for their rights on the streets, which were simply not given to them because of their gender.

On 12 March 2023, Sunday, at 4 pm hundreds of women, men and people from the LGBTQ community gathered for Aurat March in Karachi and demanded equal opportunities for everyone, safe public spaces and eradication of hunger and poverty, mentioned a Pakistan-based Geo News. However, this year saw less participation due to the law and order situation in this nation, as mentioned in the same report.

What Is Aurat March?

Aurat means 'a woman' and Aurat March is an annual Women's Day ritual in Pakistan, which took place in Karachi on 12 March this year, instead of 8 march to make it more inclusive and considerate of labour class and participation. and The origin of this event can be traced back to 2018 in Frere Hall and which was moved to Jinnah Ground last year. This year saw participation from women, transgenders, non-binary folks and male allies to voice their demands at Burns Garden. Afghan women refugees in Islamabad also participated in this event to show their support.

This year's theme for the Aurat March was 'Riyasat jawab do, bhook ka hisab do', which when translated into the English language means ' State give an answer and be accountable for hunger'.

Through musical performances at the event, issues like forced conversions, transgender rights and bonded labour were raised. One of the organisers on the occasion of the march said, 'Hunger, poverty, climate change and inflation are all feminist issues as women - who are a majority in Pakistan - bear the brunt of all these issues more heavily than other sections of society,' mentioned an ANI report.

People from the transgender community also participated in the event and activists Shehzadi Rai, Bindya Rana and Mehrub Moiz Awan took the stage to make people aware of the problems faced by the transgender community in the nation. While talking to Geo News, Dr Mehrub Awan said that the whole idea behind transgender people participating in the march was to show solidarity as it is a rare sight in this country that is torn by ethnic, sectarian, religious and linguistic divide.

The participants marched towards the Sindh Assembly via the Arts Council of Pakistan after the performances. A short sit-in was then staged by the marchers in front of the Sindh Assembly where activists highlighted the issue of rape by performing a small play.

A long white cloth was also arranged by the organisers that had slogans and signs of hands printed on them using red colours. This was to honour those who continue to suffer due to patriarchy, get harassed and abused everyday, so not have the equal opportunities to thrive and the right to live without an apology. Words and slogans were etched on it such as 'tumhara zulm yaad rahega' (your oppression will be remembered).

This cloth was carried overhead by the marchers and then burnt at the end of the march to show rage, anger and the hardships faced by them in society.

Image source: Twitter/Aurat March Lahore