The organisers of Aurat March Karachi have released their manifesto, demanding rights for marginalised groups, including the working class, transgender people, and religious minorities along with calling for an end to the practice of bonded labour, and speeding up the rehabilitation work for flood victims.
The Aurat March is held annually across Pakistan to celebrate International Women’s Day. Aurat March has already taken place in other cities of the country. However, the organisers for Aurat March Karachi decided to march on a weekend so working women can also participate.
The organisers of the march have put forth seven demands in the manifesto.
The first demand includes the enforcement of minimum wages across all sectors and strict laws against those who break the law. The second demand includes cutting down the military budget and spending it specifically on the rehabilitation of flood victims.
Unprecedented floods ravaged Pakistan in 2022, causing thousands of deaths and leaving many homeless.
The third demand includes a monthly stipend for women and the transgender community impacted by floods.
The fourth demand draws government attention to the practice of bonded labour in Sindh. The organisers have urged the authorities to curtail the practice of bonded labour, which impacts marginalised communities the most, and also eliminate private jails from Sindh, where farmers are kept by their landlords.
The fifth demand includes the establishment of shelter houses, while in the sixth demand, the organisers have urged the federal government to uphold Transgender Persons
(Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 in its original form.
The progressive Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2018 accords transgender citizens the right to self-identify. However, recently the bill has faced opposition from extremist elements in the country, who consider it to be “un-Islamic”.
