Women rights activists defend Aurat March slogans

Uks Research Centre on Saturday hosted a dialogue under the theme, ‘Understanding Slogans, Expression and Visualization: Aurat March & Beyond’, in which experts, women rights activists and Aurat March organisers discussed the slogans of Aurat March and the future course of action.

Discussing arguably the most famous slogan “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” popularised by feminists in the Aurat March on March 8 to demand bodily autonomy and protest gender-based violence, the participants of the dialogue said that some quarters of society, especially anti-feminist figures, criticised the slogan without understanding its true sense and meaning.

It was said that a specific newspaper deliberately associated the slogan with promoting sex activities in Pakistan. The speakers lamented that a section of the media accused the organisers of the Aurat March of promoting vulgarity and foreign agenda, which was completely malicious. The baseless campaign also resulted in FIRs against the Aurat March organisers and created several problems for them.

Classical dancer and women rights activist Sheema Kermani commented that the campaign against the Aurat March showed the men’s power to control society. “It’s all about control and power. Men decide when women should have a childbirth without knowing their health condition. Women have no voice in family planning. Even women are not allowed to speak up for their own body rights.”

She said that women within the institution of marriage should have the right to speak up for their rights and they must be allowed to decide whether they are ready for childbirth or not. The slogan “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” summarised the rights of women over their bodies, she added.

UKS Director Tasneem Ahmar said that there were even some progressive people who thought that some slogans raised in the Aurat March were problematic and the organisers should have changed them or at least rephrased them. She, however, added that powerful slogans forced society to conduct discussions and start debates.

Another speaker said that last year she interviewed around 80 people and almost all of them said that they clarified to their parents the false propaganda against the Aurat March. Those people were supporting the slogans as they believed such problems existed in our society.

Former HRCP Co-Chairperson Uzma Noorani said these slogans were very rational and not written by the organisers of the Aurat March. She explained that participants of the march brought their own placards to the Aurat March because the organisers believed in freedom and inclusiveness.

Journalist Afia Salam said these slogans should not be changed on the wish of some specific group, a majority of whom wanted dominance of men in society.

The famous slogan “Lo Mai Beth Gai” was also discussed. The speakers were of the view that generally in our society, parents told their daughters how to sit at home and motorbikes but they forgot to think about those women who worked in farms in rural areas.

It was said that every slogan of the Aurat March reflected injustices to women in our society.

Speakers said that those who insist on changing or rephrasing the placard slogans should focus on raising concerns against the injustices to women. They said that a well-planned propaganda was spread against the Aurat March organisers by a specific mindset who accused the Aurat March organisers of being Western agents and enemies of Eastern traditions.

It was said that the opponents of the march in their public speeches said that the Aurat March was a foreign-funded movement, and its participants were not part of our society.

A speaker said that the issues discussed by the Aurat March were not created by the march organisers but they already existed.

The speakers of the event also discussed whether the Aurat March could be turned into a political movement at the current stage. A majority of the participants agreed that after the emergence of Aurat March, at least a debate had begun on the women issues.

The Aurat March could potentially change society and could be turned into a national-level movement but it would take time, it was said.