Aurat March demands end of gender-based discrimination

KARACHI: A large number of women workers staged a big rally here Sunday on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, marching from the Arts Council of Pakistan to the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and pledging to continue their struggle against gender-based discrimination.

The rally organized by Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) was led by their general secretary Zahra Akbar Khan and attended by a large number of women workers of factories, offices, farms, home-based workers and lady health visitors.

Addressing the rally, the speakers said on March 8, women in whole world celebrate this day, as it is the symbol of the struggle of women against their exploitation and oppression.

They said the notorious elements in society are giving respect and pride to those people who are suppressing the voice of women. They said women do not have to get any certificate from the so-called contractors of in the country and they would continue their fearless and revolutionary resist to defeat the forces of feudalism, capitalism, tribalism and male chauvinism.

They said today women vow that they would become alternate political force to make Pakistan a democratic socialist society and to get a true gender justice and equal status for women.

They said this struggle would continue till the end to poverty, hunger, joblessness and gender-based exploitation and till realization of justice, peace and progress.

They said the women also face cruel economic exploitation, above and beyond facing negative values, traditions and beliefs, They said that sexual harassment of women at workplace is extensive in Pakistan.

They said as per a United Nations Development Programme report Pakistan is on top of the list of those countries where women face huge discrimination on the basis of gender across the society.

They said this low-grade role of women is exposed in dramas and films. They said a purported writer Khalilur Rehman Qamar had expressed this hatred openly. They said women comprise 75perent of the poorest population of the world.

They said like the whole world in Pakistan also work is being shifted from formal industries to home-based workers and as per estimate more than one Crore 20 Lakh home-based workers are in Pakistan, majority of them women, who are deprived of all social security benefits, EOBI, health and safety benefits.

The speakers appreciated the services of Comrade Tahira Mazhar Ali, Comrade Shanta Bukhari, Mai Bakhtawar, Asma Jahangir, and Comrade Afzal Tausif and vowed to continue their great effort.

They demanded that all prejudiced laws against women should be abolished. All workers including home-based workers and Haris should be registered with social security institutions.

Gender-based pay gap should be clogged. Equal wages and equal working hours should be introduced across Pakistan for women workers. Salaries and wages should be increased as per international rules. Maternity leaves of women should be improved, they demanded.

They demanded the time scale should be provided to lady health workers and pension to retired workers. Child care centers should be set up in workplaces with women in the mainstream. Women should be given symbol in all institutions in the proportion of their share in the population.

The participants also demanded all missing political and social workers should be recovered. Forces sacking of media workers and their salary cuts should be stopped.

Those attended the rally included Saeeda Khatoon of Association of the Affected of Baldia Factory Fire, Sabaghi Bheel of Sindh Agricultural General Workers Union, Nasir Mansoor of National Union Federation, Kosarul Nissa of HBWWF, Zubair Rehman columnists, Shakeela Khan Home-based Women Bangles Workers Union, Kulsoom of Student Leader, SairaFeroz of United HB Garment Workers Union.