On International Women’s Day, protesters marched in Pakistani cities Sunday in an ultra-conservative society where women are still put to death under ancient “honor” codes.
In Islamabad on Sunday, about 1,000 women and men gathered to call for greater reproductive and other rights.
Last year’s march sparked a furious backlash when participants held placards with slogans such as: “Keep your dick pics to yourself”, and “My body, my choice”.
In a society where women have been shot, stabbed, stoned, set alight and strangled for damaging a family’s “honor”, such expressions have seen marchers accused of promoting Western, liberal values and disrespecting religious and cultural sensitivities.
The march ended at a park alongside a separate “anti-feminist” Islamist rally, with the dueling protests separated only by a flimsy barrier and a line of police.
“The women in Pakistan are considered property by their male counterparts,” said Tahira Maryum, 55. “There is nothing vulgar in asking for your rights,” she added.
This year, anti-march campaigners filed unsuccessful court petitions to try to ban Sunday’s events, and a religious political party warned it would stop the march at “all costs”.
Much of Pakistani society operates under a strict code of “honor”, systematizing the oppression of women in matters such as the right to choose who to marry, reproductive rights and even the right to an education.
Pakistani social media on Sunday was filled with comments both for and against the march with, “HappyWomensDay2020” and “MeraHijabMeriMarzi” (MyHijabMyChoice) both in the top Twitter trends.
Rights activists have long fought against the patriarchal notion of “honor” which remains prevalent across Pakistan. According to estimates, at least 1,000 women fall victim to honor killings in Pakistan each year.
