If you’ve been scouring basically any form of social media over the past couple of days, you’ll have heard of the upcoming Aurat March.
The Aurat March is all set to take place in Lahore and Karachi. The aim is simple: spreading the word about economic, reproductive and environmental justice.
There’s been a lot of talk on social media about the March too, especially since it coincides with Women’s Day.
Prominent names are inviting women everywhere to join the March.
Moreover, numerous other calls to action have been made as well.
The fact that Pakistani women are uniting and are inviting other women to join them is, undoubtedly, wonderful.
They’re putting forward their ideology behind the March…
…alongside some demands.While some people are wishing they could be a part of the March…
…and others are supporting it…
…why exactly is the Aurat March so darn important?
Well, first of all, it’s a March for equal rights.
Bit of a no-brainer, right? It’s something that the entire feminist community has stressed on from time to time. Women still lack the basi form of equality that is needed in our society. But let’s have a closer look at this and examine why equality is of the utmost essence.
The gender pay gap is a huge issue.
Till last year, Pakistan was still the second-worst country on the Global Gender Gap Index. According to the Daily Times:
“The index placed Pakistan 143rd out of 144 countries, worst in the South Asian region that has an average remaining gender gap of 34% as noted by the index.”
Now, many will argue that there aren’t as many women working as men. However, according to a case study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), “women’s labor force participation in Pakistan has increased by more than 50 percent over the past 15 years.”
Hmm, something to think about, nahi?
Evils such as honor killing, rape, harassment, and domestic violence still exist in our society.
Abuse in all forms – mental or physical – seems to find its way back to women. Each day, we’re bombarded with news clips where women face “ziyadti” in some form or another. Husbands beat wives. Women are paraded naked or ordered to be raped by village elders. Even young girls aren’t spared. The most notable case of 2018 was that of little Zainab’s. However, there are countless other Zainabs waiting for justice.
Menstruation is still considered a “haw haye” topic.
Pad Man was banned in Pakistan because it dealt with menstruation. However, movies and shows that promote sexism, rape or domestic violence are given the green signal with the utmost ease. However, the conversation around menstruation is building. And we need women to keep establishing more dialogue with people who don’t understand why menstruation should be normalized.
All forms of misogyny and sexism are still rampant amongst Pakistanis.
If you ever need proof of this statement, just look at the comments section of most of our articles. Especially the more liberal ones. Iski elaboration ki zaroorat nahi paregi. However, there’s more to sexism than men undermining women. Internalized misogyny affects many women too. They’ve been conditioned to believe in sexist reasonings. And that’s something that needs to be combated as well.
To sum it all up, the Aurat March is, undoubtedly, a HUGE step towards empowerment.
It signifies how some women aren’t afraid anymore. Moreover, it allows other women who face countless inhibitions to feed off these empowering figures and their courage. The March isn’t just women collecting like a mob. It’s about unity, reclamation, and fighting back. More power to all these incredible women.
Will you be attending the Aurat March? Let us know in the comments.
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