Aurat March in Karachi, dubbed “Aurat Ehtejaji Mela aur March 2024,” took place in the city’s renowned Frere Hall on International Women’s Day, which is observed on March 8 each year.
The march was attended by women, transgender persons, and members of minority groups. This year’s march differed from the previous six in that it had three simultaneous sessions and a diverse agenda.
This year’s march also had a food stall section, where participants could get food and drinks to keep them going.
On the central stage, there was a discussion about minority rights, forced conversions, and the Jaranwal event.
Two more seminars, one on economic empowerment for women and one on transgender rights, were held in separate places in the Frere Hall gardens.
Prominent campaigners and human rights defenders, including Samiuddin Baloch and Sheema Kirmani, attended the ceremony.
This year’s Aurat March agenda included 11 subjects, including harassment-free workplaces, a decent wage for all factory, agricultural, and house workers, and the execution of the house Based Workers Act of 2018.
Furthermore, the Aurat March requested an end to the enforced disappearances of journalists and political workers, as well as a resolution to the Baloch missing persons crisis.
They also demand that the Transgender Act of 2018 be upheld, which protects transgender persons and grants them the ability to self-identify.
Other demands included the building of safe shelters for women, transmen, and khawajasiras, all of whom have been victims of patriarchal violence.
The Aurat March also sought women’s inheritance rights, debt relief for bonded labour, and enough and inexpensive power for working-class regions.
The celebration began with a brief dancing session by Sheema Kirmani, which raised the participants’ spirits.
