Aurat March

Aurat march is organized in various cities of Pakistan including Lahore, Hyderabad, Karachi and
Islamabad, to observe International Women’s Day on March 8th. Thousands of young girls and
women came out and marched with many others to smash the patriarchal norms and demand a
balanced society for all.

They demanded economic justice, implementation of labor rights and the Sexual Harassment
against Women in the Workplace Act 2010, recognition of women’s unpaid labor, and the
provision of maternity leave and daycare centers to ensure women’s addition in the labor force.

Other demands covered nearly every aspect of social justice: recognition of women’s
participation in the production of food and cash crops, access to a fair justice system, equal
representation of women with disabilities and transgender people, reproductive justice, access to
the public, the rights of religious minorities, promotion of an anti-war agenda, and an end to
police brutality and enforced disappearances.

A lot of controversies and criticism were raised in every forum. Though the manifesto addressed
very important issues women face in Pakistan, anti-march critics slammed the organizers for not
focusing on the “real issues” of women and using their platform to promote nudity, vulgarity,
and anti-Islamic norms in the country.

“When it comes to women’s rights, Islam has the most rights and respect for women. It’s sad to
see how we forgot that and follow a trend and funded movements,”

Hoorma Muhammad Ahmed Dadani