Since the first Aurah March, on March 8, 2018, women’s marches in the conservative country have been controversial. The participating women do not hesitate to raise issues such as divorce, sexual harassment and menstruation, which divide public opinion in Pakistan. Every year, the feminists’ slogans spark weeks of controversy and violent threats against them.
Rabil Akhtar, a teacher who joined about two thousand demonstrators in Lahore, told Agence France-Presse, “The reason for the existence of the awrah march is to demand safety, which is not guaranteed for women in this country and society.” “We will not sit in silence. This is our day, this is our time.”
The authorities of Lahore, the second largest city in the country after Karachi, had initially banned the march due to the risk of confrontation with a counter-demonstration. The counter-demonstration is called “Haya” which means “modesty” in Urdu, and is committed to upholding Islamic values. The organizers of the Al-Awrah rally went to court and a compromise was eventually reached, to change the location of the event.
And in the capital, Islamabad, protesting women did not comply with the municipality’s decision to detain them in a park, where a woman was gang-raped in February. Hundreds of women gathered at the Press Club, but were prevented by the police and port containers. Many of the women carried banners supporting Afghan women who see the Taliban regime as diminishing their rights.
See also. New protests in Iran after gas attacks on (girls) schools
