Women’s empowerment means promoting a positive self-image of women, their capability to regulate their own choices, and their right to create change in society for others and themselves. The trend of “Aurat March” is very common nowadays. Today, the Aurat March is labelled as women empowerment. But this is not true at all. People who think that the women’s march is giving women their rights or promoting women empowerment are completely wrong.
Every woman who joins or participates in the Aurat March is either a celebrity or a member of a noble family. By participating in the Aurat March these women gain fame and celebrities try to prove that they are speaking out for the rights of oppressed women by uploading their pictures on their social media accounts. But the women who are oppressed do not even know much about this initiative. Every year in the name of Aurat March, women gather on the streets and carry various placards and chant slogans. The slogans that these women raise and the writings on placards are not related to women empowerment. On the contrary, these absurd slogans are causing obscenity in society. The women’s march is not only a failed attempt to give women their rights but also humiliates them.
Women participate in this Aurat March from different parts of Pakistan and said that this march is for the protection of their rights but there is an urgent need to think about whether any women have got their rights or justice through this women’s march to date? The most famous slogan of the Aurat March titled “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” was widely criticized for not conveying the real issues of women in the country and diminishes values.
The national assembly board called this slogan “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” indecent and immoral. This slogan was discussed abundantly and many strives were started by rightists on social media against this slogan.
Everyone is using this slogan as they see fit. This thing is spreading obscenity in society. A lot of people do not understand the meaning and purpose behind the slogan of “Mera Jism Meri Marzi”. Many people understand it in a vulgar way which has adverse effects on society. The supporters of the Aurat March argue that this slogan “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” is about control of women over her own body but those people who oppose this March have viewed it in a sexual sense. According to many people, this slogan is aimed at gaining freedom from societal ‘dress codes’.
The supporters of Aurat March contend that the purpose of this March is to give women their rights while many people not only misunderstand its purpose but everyone understands it according to their mentality. When many people do not understand the true purpose of Aurat March, how will they support those who are proponents of it? The women who took to the streets in support of this march say that they are giving women their rights while it is difficult for any woman to get rights through this march and these women also put themselves in trouble.
Women who support this march are threatened by many people and face many other difficulties.
In short, Aurat March is not for the empowerment of women in fact, it is waste of time and only a strategy of getting fame.