Women activists rallied for economic justice and rehabilitation for victims of last year’s catastrophic floods, calling for an end to patriarchal violence and femicide in areas affected by militancy on Sunday. The floods, caused by heavy rains in the monsoon season, displaced over 33 million people in Pakistan, claimed over 1,700 lives, and destroyed millions of homes and critical infrastructure, resulting in over $30 billion in damages.
To mark the 113th International Working Women’s Day, the Women Democratic Front (WDF) and the Aurat Azadi March (AAM), a socialist-feminist movement, organised a gathering titled “Aurat Azadi Jalsa” at the Fatima Jinnah Park in Islamabad. The event was attended by women activists, domestic workers, students, trade unions, lawyers, and political organizations with progressive ideologies.
The WDF president and one of the organizers, Ismat Raza Shahjahan, explained that the theme for this year’s event was restoring the economy, rehabilitating flood victims, and promoting peace, which is all critical to improving women’s lives. The AAM has been organized in all provinces for the past five years, while it was first established in Islamabad in 2018.
Some glimpses from the Aurat Azadi Jalsa held yesterday in Islamabad.#AmanInsafZindagi pic.twitter.com/cT3rTKo9FD
— Aurat Azadi March Islamabad (@AuratAzadiMarch) March 6, 2023
In Pakistan, celebrating International Women’s Day is crucial due to the presence of anti-feminist forces, as stated by Shahjahan without providing further details. She emphasized the importance of free education and healthcare for everyone, denouncing the privatization and substantial subsidies for the wealthy that impede social progress.
During the gathering, women activists held placards and chanted slogans to demand economic justice and gender equality. Gulzar Begum, the leader of the All Katchi Abadi Alliance, urged the regularization of all shanty houses and villages where people from conflict-ridden areas, feudal strongholds, and impoverished communities sought refuge.
Begum noted that these shanty houses were not only vulnerable to floods but also to the tide of inflation. She called for reducing the prices of basic goods and urban land reforms to create affordable housing for the working class.
According to Fatima Shehzad, the general secretary of the Progressive Student Federation, women were particularly vulnerable to the devastating floods as they became homeless, increasing the risks of gender-based violence and sexual assault.
She emphasised the need to provide resources and employment opportunities to empower these women, saying, “Our main demand is to rehabilitate such women and empower them by providing employment or resources to earn, so that is why we came to support this theme in this gathering today.”
Farman Ali, the information secretary of the Awami Workers Party, stressed that it is not only the responsibility of women to speak up against gender-based injustices, but men also need to support them.
He added that women are mothers, sisters, wives, and colleagues, and therefore, they deserve equal opportunities in society. Ali also acknowledged the extra burden on working women, who not only have to work long hours but also have to do household chores and receive little support from society and in-laws. In this patriarchal society, Ali stated that it is crucial for men to stand with women and support them, saying, “Therefore, sane voices in men also feel it and support them in this patriarchal society.”
