Pakistani Women celebrated the International Women’s day – Aurat Marches observed countrywide

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SP News Desk
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aurat march
Pakistani Women celebrated the International Women's day - Aurat Marches observed countrywide

8th March was celebrated as the International Women’s Day. Women of Pakistan also celebrated this day with great enthusiasm and thrill. Women around the country participated in social media campaigns and sessions for women appreciations and accreditations.

The famous Aurat march was also arranged in many cities around the country including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

Aurat march Karachi had men and women from all life sectors who came out to support the women of the country and raised voice for the women who are being suppressed in the country, hidden from eyes of everyone.

Aurat March Lahore was an intense one, and young females of schools and colleges participated with banners and posters for the women.

In Islamabad, some troops opposing feminism attacked the Aurat march and adopted physical means of torture to the attendees of the movement. Law enforcing agencies and men participants responded to this attack, and the March was soon held free. It then proceeded to D’Chowk where there were slogans and songs. The attendees diminished after two hours.

The government of Pakistan passed special laws and restrictions for the Aurat march. It restricted the attendees from bringing posters and opting slogans which could target any particular person, social sector or hurt someone’s feelings. The Highcourt also restricted the March for not being aggressive and violent.

Transgender community also participated in March and raised voice for their rights.

The Slogan “Mera Jism, Meri Marzi” was held very famous during the Aurat March 2019 which made many people obsessed. Many people opposed the idea for various reasons. Some even said that this slogan opposed the constitution in Pakistan and Islam and that it supports prostitution in the country.

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The slogan is original. It is my slogan. It means exactly this: my body, my choice. Dirty minded people will always find a way to twist things. I chose to write it exactly because of the connotation that the word "jism" carries. Question YOURSELF why you find the word "body" offensive in relation to women. Because a woman's body IS controversial. And it should not be. It should just be about her, not owned by the men in her family and in her country. She should have the freedom to wear what she wants without fear of rape, she should have the right to marry who she wants, study if she wants, NOT BE RAPED AND HARRASSED JUST BECAUSE SHE IS A WOMAN AND THEREFORE EASY GAME. This is for those women who's husbands rape them – because sex without consent is rape. This is for those women who are forced to abort baby girls, who need permission from their in-laws to visit their OWN parents. It is exactly about what I, the creator of the first poster in 2018, meant for it to be about: Women's bodies and choices belong to them – and it is about time that we stand up and say so. And just to clear ANY confusion – what my poster and slogan is NOT about: -roaming naked on the streets -having sex on the streets -anything similarly lewd and ridiculous Sadia Gilani #AuratMarch2020 #AuratMarchLahore #StoriesBehindPlacards #MeraJismMeriMarzi

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M is for Mera Jism Meri Marzi It is mind-boggling when this poster from the last Aurat March went viral that men asked, “Oh now women want to parade naked in the streets?” When it is the patriarchal, oppressive and inhumane jirga system that has forced hundreds of women to be stripped naked and paraded in the village under the alleged crime of adultery. ‘Mera jism meri marzi’ means that women want bodily autonomy and independence. To be able to have the right to choose in matters concerning their bodies. To choose what to wear without fear of rape. To choose who to marry. To choose whether they want to have children, how many, and when they want to have them. To not have their husbands rape them because they feel entitled to their bodies after marriage. To have access to mobility in their day-to-day lives for work and for leisure. To not have their bodies maimed in the name of having their sexualities controlled. In Pakistan, female genital mutilation occurs behind closed doors and in whispers. There is no basis in any text or science for it except to control a woman's sexuality. It is not 'circumcision', it is violence. It is a violence enforced on young children by members of their family. It is a theft of autonomy and agency. Mera jism meri marzi means my body, my permission. It is a loud call to remind you that women are and should be in charge of their own bodies – just like men. Mera jism meri marzi means an enforcement of a human right every individual is born with, but women, trans, and non-binary person are robbed of. #AuratMarch2020 #AtoZFeminism

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The feminists and organizers of the March gave reasons for this slogan.

Whatever the perception is, violence is never the way to suppress any perspective. Respect the opinions prevailing in society, and we would progress peacefully.