Aurat March

Marchers holding placards during Aurat March 2020

The Aurat March (Urdu: عورت مارچ, lit.'Women's March') is an annual socio-political demonstration in Pakistani cities such as Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Islamabad to observe International Women's Day.[1][2]

The first Aurat Marches were begun by women's collectives in parallel with the Pakistani #MeToo movement on International Women's Day.[3][4][5] The first march was held on 8 March 2018 in Karachi.[6] Marches were organized in 2019 in Lahore and Karachi by Hum Auratein (We the Women, a women's collective) and elsewhere in the country, including Islamabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Peshawar, Mardan, and Faisalabad, by Women Democratic Front (WDF), Women's Action Forum (WAF), and other groups.[6] The march was endorsed by the Lady Health Workers Association and included representatives of a number of women's-rights organizations.[7][8]

The march calls for greater accountability for violence against women and supports women who experience violence and harassment at the hands of security forces, in public spaces, at home, and in the workplace.[9] Women and men carry posters with slogans such as Ghar ka Kaam, Sab ka Kaam ("Housework is everyone's work"), and Mera Jism Meri Marzi ("My body, my choice") became a rallying cry.[10]

  1. ^ Gozdecka, Dorota; Macduff, Anne (8 January 2019). Feminism, Postfeminism and Legal Theory: Beyond the Gendered Subject?. Routledge. ISBN 9781351040402.
    Kirmani, Nida; Khan, Ayesha (27 November 2018). "Moving Beyond the Binary: Gender-based Activism in Pakistan". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
    Sahar, Naila (2 October 2018). "Things She Could Never Have". South Asian Review. 39 (3–4): 420–422. doi:10.1080/02759527.2018.1518037. ISSN 0275-9527. S2CID 189186159.
    Images Staff (7 March 2019). "The Aurat March challenges misogyny in our homes, workplaces and society, say organisers ahead of Women's Day". Images. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    "Here's all you need to know about Aurat March 2019". NC. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
    The Newspaper's Staff Reporter (7 March 2019). "Aurat March to highlight 'Sisterhood and Solidarity'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
    Shah, Zuneera (12 March 2018). "Why the Aurat March is a revolutionary feat for Pakistan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
    Zahra-Malik, Mehreen (15 March 2019). "Pakistan torn as women's day march sparks wave of 'masculine anxiety'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
    Toppa, Sabrina (8 March 2019). "Women take to the streets of Pakistan to rewrite their place in society". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
    Ebrahim, Ammar (6 April 2019). "The 'womanspreading' placard that caused fury in Pakistan". Retrieved 13 April 2019.
    Rehman, Zoya (26 July 2019). "Aurat March and Undisciplined Bodies". Medium. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  2. ^ ur-Rehman, Zia (6 March 2022). "As Women's Marches Gain Steam in Pakistan, Conservatives Grow Alarmed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  3. ^ Anjum, Gulnaz (27 February 2020). "Women's Activism in Pakistan: Role of Religious Nationalism and Feminist Ideology Among Self-Identified Conservatives and Liberals". Open Cultural Studies. 4 (1): 36–49. doi:10.1515/culture-2020-0004.
  4. ^ Shaheed, Farida (2019). "Maintaining Momentum in Changing Circumstances". Journal of International Affairs. 72 (2): 159–172. ISSN 0022-197X. JSTOR 26760840.
  5. ^ "Social constructionism and women empowerment". Daily Times. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Pakistani women hold 'aurat march' for equality, gender justice". www.aljazeera.com. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  7. ^ Saeed, Mehek. "Aurat March 2018: Freedom over fear". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  8. ^ "A rising movement". dawn.com. 18 March 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  9. ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (7 March 2019). "Aurat March to highlight 'Sisterhood and Solidarity'". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  10. ^ Alina, Mubarik (8 March 2021). "5 'Infamous' Aurat March Slogans and Why They Aren't Actually Sinister". ProPakistani.