Feminism and Aurat March In Pakistan

 
                                        

What is Feminism?

Feminism is a phrase that refers to a collection of movements and philosophies focused at achieving political, economic, and social equality between men and women. This is a huge movement and it includes a wide range of activities, such as suffrage campaigns, providing access to education, employment, equal treatment, and fostering female participation in labour movements.

Feminism in Pakistani Context

Photo by Flavia Jacquier on Pixel 

For a variety of reasons, feminism is a significant movement in Pakistan as it is a country where women are subjected to a wide range of prejudice and abuse. Everything from child marriage and forced marriage to so-called honour killings and acid attacks falls under this category. As a result, feminism in Pakistan is a crucial movement for Pakistani women seeking equality and safety.

Pakistan being a patriarchal country has a long and illustrious history, and its courageous women have always played a significant role in it. Pakistani women have been in the forefront of the campaign for gender equality since the beginning of the Pakistan. Women like Fatima Jinnah, who was pivotal in her brother, Muhammad Ali Jinnah's quest for independence, led the Pakistan movement in its early stages. Women like Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan and Shaista Suhrawardy Ikramullah continued to fight for women's rights after Pakistan got independence, means in both national and international levels.

 There has been a renaissance of feminist ideas in Pakistan in recent years. A new generation of Pakistani women is driving this trend, using social media and other venues to speak out against sexism, misogyny, and sexual harassment. Pakistani feminists are openly challenging the gender biased traditions and cultures which are practiced since ages.

 8^th March, “International Women’s Day”

8th March is celebrated each year with high spirits in every corner of the world, as it is a historic day for all women because they celebrate their achievements, raise their voices to demonstrate that they are human beings, not commodities, demand and raise awareness for their fundamental rights, they demand equality for all genders. This is the day when women from all occupations came out and take the streets in different countries, to raise their voices to eliminate gender discrimination and they resist against the patriarchal sociocultural beliefs.

8^th March In Pakistan 

Women's Day in Pakistan has a great history, with figures such as Benazir Bhutto, Begum Rana Liquat Ali Khan, Asma Jahangir, Fatima Ali Jinnah, and others making sacrifices for women's rights.

In Pakistan, Women's Day was celebrated as usual until march 8^th 2018, but with the help of "feminist waves and the Me Too movement," it completely transformed to a new direction. 8^th March in Pakistan is now celebrated as Aurat March (Women March). The first women march was organized in Karachi in March 2018, and it marked history in Pakistan for the first time because huge crowds of women took the streets and challenged the patriarchies. No one believes that women are able to gather crowds on streets in the country like Pakistan. In Aurat March, we can see the diversity because participants belonging to different classes, sects, and occupations including men with families and LGBT gathered in Pakistan's metropolitan cities. For the first time, feminists hammered a strong nail into patriarchy's coffin in Pakistan and it was hard for the Pakistanis to accept the new emerging wave of feminism. 

Aurat March Demands-2022

 On International Women's Day, women from different corners of the world gathered with diverse themes and manifestos. So women in Pakistan are demonstrating since 2018 with various themes and manifestos, and this year (2022) Aurat March demands manifestos are based on following:

• Unemployment assistance, child, geriatric, and disability support care in the home and through dedicated public facilities,
• Occupational hazard protection, even in unprotected and hazardous work;
• Seriousness in addressing the impacts of climate change and disasters on our lives and livelihoods are all issues that the state must address.'
• They also demanded the right to education, right to inheritance, right to health care, fair pay for all, the end of domestic violence, the end of gender discrimination, the end of sexual harassment in public and private places, the right to reproduction, and justice for rape survivors.
• They demand that the state provide social security and safety to all employees, particularly    women, Trans men, the Khwajasira group, and non-binary individuals. 
• Reimagining of justice systems.
• Financial support to the survivor-centric organizations in different cities of Pakistan.
• Safe- city projects for women and for their safety.
• Improvement of women shelter homes and fulfill all basic needs of women need.

Criticism and Social Media Manipulation

Religion and patriarchal societies, as we all know, actively participate in curtailing women's rights. They go to great lengths to disparage the marches by using nasty rhetoric. When the 8th of March arrives, not only do women and feminists attempt to make the day special, but Aurat Marchers also face a massive pushback from conservative males and radical religious groups, as well as social media platforms. Participants in the Aurat March have been harassed and threatened by various parties. 

Rather than focusing on the march's manifestos and positive image, these individuals (social media sites) concentrate on its weaknesses. As we all know, the march's participants are not just confined to a small number of organizations or groups; rather, the Aurat March represents a varied group of people. It attracts men and women from all walks of life, as well as LGBT persons who are violated and abused from their families, societies, and are ignored by governments. Participants in the Aurat March ranged from the upper to lower classes, from men and women to LGBT people.

This ensemble, which encompasses everything from T-shirts and pants to dupattas, shalwars, and kameez, demands gender equality without discrimination. Females and trans-genders wearing jeans, some wearing with or without sleeves shirts, participants with cosmetics, some dancing, and others chanting catchy slogans never drew the attention of social media channels; what they usually focus on are females and trans-genders wearing jeans, some wearing with or without sleeves shirts, participants with cosmetics, some dancing, and others chanting catchy slogans. Throughout the entire scenario, they ignored the women's manifestos and demands. They show fraudulent photos, movies based on false information, and false accusations of blasphemy, just like they did in 2021. The Aurat Marchers were saved from some horrible tragedy because of our national network, which aired the actual video of the march. We've seen how religion may be used to oppress people.

They regard to it as humiliating for Pakistanis. Despite the fact that Hijab Day is already marked around the world on February 1, Pakistan's minister for religious affairs has asked the country to observe March 8 as 'Hijab Day.' In our country, individuals have begun to observe Haya Day (Modesty Day) in lieu of Valentine's Day, which falls on February 14th.

Conclusion

In Pakistan, women are already subjected to horrors and denial of basic rights. It is better to refrain from disseminating misinformation about the Aurat March and portraying it as a Western agenda; these protests are for women's fundamental rights. Aurat March is neither a western agenda nor a Western-funded group, it is supported by donations collected by women and other Pakistani welfare organizations.

Despite the fact that the Aurat March has been attacked by various people in various forums, it has been successful in bringing change to Pakistani society. Women's marches have become part of the mainstream discourse as a result of the new wave of feminism, and women's rights are now able to attract national attention. Women's rights are being violated in Pakistan, laws relating to women's rights need to be amended, and the state must ensure that women receive effective legal support from institutes.