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]