Aurat March Lahore has released its manifesto for the year 2022. The theme of this year’s march is: “Reimagining Justice”, and the hashtag Asal Insaf is being used across different social media platforms.
“Our existing legal system aims to treat everyone as equal while ignoring differences of power, and is unable to actually make litigating parties equal. We have seen in countless cases, such as Shahrukh Jatoi’s, Usman Mirza’s and Ali Zafar’s, that powerful accused parties exercise great influence outside court. This year, we strive to reimagine justice on our own terms, taking account of these power differentials and outside of the predetermined script written for us,” states the manifesto.
Aurat March Lahore also did a Twitter space to discuss and explain the manifesto.
The manifesto demands the following things, among others:
Repair and reform is a difficult conversation–the sheer prevalence and spectrum of patriarchal violence requires that we seek to transform behaviours by giving perpetrators and harm-doers the opportunity to hold themselves accountable and repair the harm they have done.
We want to invest in creating and fostering collective communities of care, building structures of support already found in our local communities. Ensure that resources are directed to strengthening local support systems geared towards mutual aid, bystander intervention and support groups.
Immediate reduction of the use of fossil fuels by divesting products and industries which largely rely on such fuels and investing in renewable energy with Global North subsiding this lateral shift. The impact of this change on women and marginalised communities should be taken into account as women are forced to cook with fuels (such as wood, crop wastes, charcoal, coal and dung) and kerosene in the absence of adequate gas and electricity. We reject any policy that penalises marginalised communities for their use of traditional fuels, which does not explicitly contain measures for replacement/alternatives.
Period Poverty is a prevalent issue in Pakistan due to the existing patriarchal hierarchy. However, when talking about increasing access to period products, we urge consideration in using and promoting environmentally safe products. 34 Taboos around periods must be removed so the proper use of products such as menstrual cups and reusable pads can be discussed openly. This conversation must be intersectional and inclusive by recognizing the different needs of transgender women, non-binary, intersex and disabled women. Access to water and sanitation must also be improved so that usage of better products can be facilitated.
Acknowledge/value unpaid labour of women as being equally important as “paid” labour normally performed by men: Unpaid labour by women lies at the heart of the entire economy. In order for the “paid” economy to work, the unpaid labour of women in the form of childcare, housework, elder care etc is necessary. This unpaid labour is evaluated at $10.9 trillion / year .Measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have increased household tasks with more members of the family staying at home, and much of this burden has fallen unequally on women. However, mainstream economic discourse does not value or acknowledge this unpaid and unfair division of labour performed exclusively by women.
Employers should improve facilities at the workplace to accommodate women: Women face gender-specific challenges at the workplace which prevents them from taking up employment. As women are disproportionately responsible for housework and childcare, workplaces should be required to daycare, paid maternity and paternity leave facilities for all employees. Basic facilities like separate toilets should be provided at every workplace.
Aurat March has also released a charter of demands:
Radical, structural reform of the justice system should be undertaken instead of superficial gender representation, such as the mere integration of more women or gender minorities into structurally patriarchal policing and judicial systems.
Survivor-centric welfare institutions receive more funding and are strengthened to provide shelter, housing, healthcare, economic and psycho-social services to survivors of patriarchal violence. We reject austerity-based policies which have gutted public health and welfare institutions. Existing laws such as the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016 be implemented with the establishment of crisis centers and adequate funding. Further, we demand the government’s Sehat Card cover mental health support and services.
Punishments such as the death penalty and chemical castration not be considered as a solution to patriarchal violence as they are not a meaningful deterrent and only serve as short-term solutions to public pressure. We demand a radical shift to preventative policies: education, community building and social welfare should drive the solutions.
We demand the immediate decriminalisation of defamation laws as they are a stark reminder of how the criminal justice system is actively anti-survivor.
The immediate defunding of “safe city projects”, costing the public billions of Rupees and offering an ineffective and paternalistic vision of safety, and we agitate that those funds be redirected to survivor-support and welfare programs.
The state engages in meaningful truth and reconciliation by holding itself accountable for enforced disappearances and providing justice to the affected families.
Universal basic income and care work income be provided for all residents of Pakistan to ensure that everyone, regardless of whether they belong to the formal or informal sector or engage in paid or unpaid labour, is provided base-level resources as a right. We agitate for unpaid labour of women to be valued as equally important as “paid” labour normally performed by men.
That the poor and marginalised not be made to bear the brunt of IMF-driven measures that have resulted in privatisation and unprecedented inflation. These measures are “anti-poor” and serve a vision of economic justice that only benefits global capitalism.
Current attacks on the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018 be strongly resisted by the government in power, and proactive action be taken to ensure implementation of the law at the provincial level.
The Government immediately pass appropriate legislation to stop forced conversions. We demand that the State go beyond merely criminalising forced conversions, addressing the social, economic and political power structures that allow for these conversions to take place with impunity.
Displacement and migration due to the climate crisis be recognised as a public emergency and the State to provide housing for all as per Article 38 of the Constitution of Pakistan. We condemn “developmental” projects such as the RRUDP, hailed by PM Imran Khan, as fundamentally violent towards the economy and indigenous communities that farm and sustain these lands.
Immediate measures should be taken to address Lahore’s deteriorating air quality which is making our cities unlivable and poses a public health crisis.
