Haya March to Counter Aurat March in Pakistan: Women March for Rights All Over the World
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 March 2022
• Saudi Women Lawyers Celebrate Advances in Legal
Profession
• Abu Dhabi: Women Healthcare Workers Put On Dancing
Shoes to ‘Break the Bias’
• Female Foreign Ministers Call On Taliban to Lift
Restrictions on Afghan Women
• Lack of Women in Iraq’s Security Forces Creating Gap
in Civilian Protection
• Turkish Women Hold Rallies against Male Violence on
Women’s Day
• UNFPA, NCW Thank Egypt’s First Lady for Her Support
For Women's Empowerment
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/haya-march-aurat-pakistan-rights/d/126544
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Haya March to Counter Aurat March in Pakistan: Women
March for Rights All Over the World
Aurat March 2022, Karachi
| Courtesy: Twitter/@AuratMarchKHI
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By Our Correspondents & Agencies
March 09, 2020
ISLAMABAD: Thousands took to the streets across the
globe to mark the International Women’s Day on Sunday despite the coronavirus
outbreak forcing the cancellation of a slew of events in Asia, as violence
marred some European gatherings.
In China — the epicentre of the epidemic that has
killed more than 3,500 people and infected over 100,000 worldwide — state
broadcaster CCTV highlighted the work of female medical workers on the
frontlines in the fight against the virus.
Despite growing fears over the worsening epidemic,
marches went ahead in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines while women also
rallied in Pakistan demanding “freedom”.
A women’s marathon planned in India was postponed over
virus concerns as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said prominent women would run
his social media accounts for the day.
France saw a clutch of virus deaths take its virus
toll to 16 Saturday but Paris hosted several rallies — one of which saw
violence which organisers blamed on the police. A rally in Kyrgyzstan also
turned violent as the police detained dozens of protesters — mainly women —
after masked men attacked them and tore up their placards in the capital
Bishkek. A police spokesman said they were detained for their own safety and
because police had not been warned about the rally.
In South Korea, where more than 7,000 virus infections
make it the hardest hit country outside China, several events were cancelled.
"Although we can´t be physically together, our
minds for realising gender equality are stronger than ever," the country´s
gender equality minister Lee Jung-Ok said in a video message.
Many feminist groups held online campaigns instead of
street marches, using hashtags such as #FemaleStrike, #PowerUp and
#38InternationalWomensDay to raise awareness of gender inequality.
In Bangkok, protesters called for improved labour
protections amid the epidemic that has infected dozens in Thailand, and greater
rights under a military-aligned government.
Organisers blamed virus fears for the fact that the
turnout was lower than last year.
Hundreds of women and men rallied in Manila, burning a
giant effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte — who they accuse of misogyny — to
mark the day.
"Violence and poverty among women are getting
worse," Joms Salvador of women´s group Gabriela told AFP.
"While we have 37 laws related to women´s rights,
on the ground what is happening is a widespread violence in the forms of
domestic abuse, sexual harassment and rape," he said.
A big crowd turned out in Melbourne to watch the
women´s Twenty20 World Cup final between India and Australia. US singer Katy
Perry, wearing an outfit emblazoned with the female symbol, performed her hit
single "Roar" ahead of the game.
Rallies were smaller than usual in virus-hit Europe.
"Who´s doing the washing up?" they chanted.
"We are making a revolution".
But rights groups and politicians denounced what they
said was police violence at a women´s march in Paris the night before, after
scuffles broke out and police arrested nine people.
Paris mayor Paris Anne Hidalgo, currently seeking
re-election, said she was shocked at the "unacceptable and
incomprehensible" violence and expressed her solidarity with the
demonstrators.
Some women tweeted pictures of marchers left battered
and bruised, prompting Europe Ecology-The Greens party secretary Julien Bayou
to blast what he termed "absolutely unjustifiable police violence".
Elsewhere, women also turned out in force in Iraq and
Lebanon, while Mexico, which has long battled deep-rooted gender violence, was
to stage rallies, notably in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez.
Back in Europe, Italian President Sergio Mattarella
recorded a video message with much of the country in coronavirus lockdown,
regretting the need to avoid large-scale gatherings.
Instead, he elected to "express a grateful
thought to the women -- and there are many -- who are working in hospitals...
in the red (quarantine) zones to fight the spread of the virus that worries us
today."
Up to 500 women took part in a sunrise swim at
Portobello beach in Edinburgh for International Women's Day, braving the cold
waters to celebrate.
In Australia supporters wore purple to mark
International Women's Day during the Women's T20 World Cup final match between
Australia and India at the MCG in Melbourne.
Members of the women's movement FEMEN have staged a
protest on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, calling for an end to patriarchy.
Demonstrators from Extinction Rebellion protested in
London today, arguing that the 'climate is a women's issue'. Thirty one women
formed a topless chain on Waterloo Bridge in London, with the words 'Climate
Rape' written on their bodies.
In Afghanistan, a handful of people took to the
streets to mark Women´s Day.
University graduate Tahmina Ghoori said while urban
Afghan women have seen some progress since the end of Taliban rule in 2001,
they still face many challenges due to "gender inequality and the
misogynistic views in our society".
She was especially worried about the possibility of
the insurgents returning to power on the back of a US-Taliban deal signed last
month.
"We have left a dark era behind, my concern is
that if they make a comeback, we will go through the same situation, and
women´s rights will be trampled again," she told AFP.
Protesters Sunday marched in Pakistani cities to mark
the International Women´s Day.
In Islamabad, about 1,000 women and men gathered to
call for greater reproductive and other rights.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) police averted a
possible clash between the participants of Aurat March and Haya March.
The participants of both the marches gathered in front
of the National Press Club to express their sentiments. The police divided the
participants of both the marches through ropes, barbed wires and tent sheets.
Women from the Jamaat-e-Islami, (JI), JUI-F, Lal
Masjid and female students of different seminaries staged the Haya March.
The situation became tense when a boy wearing an
'Abbaya' and wielding a baton in his hands appeared among the participants of
Aurat March.
Meanwhile, the participants of Haya March chanted
slogans and some of them hurled stones and batons at the participants of the
Aurat March; however the police dispersed them averting a possible violence.
"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.
At the Islamist counter-protest, dozens of women in
burqas held their own placards including one saying "Anti-Feminist",
while shouting "Our bodies, Allah´s choice".
Ismat Khan, a 33-year-old woman, said women´s rights
activists were "naive" and being exploited by non-government groups
and "the Jewish lobby".
"We are free and to live our lives are according
to Sharia," she told AFP.
Condemning stone pelting at the participants of Aurat
March in Islamabad, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Sunday demanded an
investigation and arrest of those responsible and the facilitators.
In a statement, PPP Secretary General Nayyar Hussain
Bokhari said those involved in the incident should be tried as per the law of
the land.
Spokesman for the PPP Chairman Senator Mustafa Nawaz
Khokhar condemned the incident saying it was a coward act to scare women with
sticks, stones and through bad language.
He demanded legal action against all those who were
responsible for this incident.
In Lahore, a crowd of several hundred women and men
took to the streets chanting slogans such as: "Give me what´s mine"
and "We want freedom", while more than 1,000 people gathered in a
park in Karachi, chanting slogans and beating drums.
The nationwide event also saw a group of women gather
in the southern city of Sukkur near the Indus River.
The local social media was filled with comments both
for and against the march with, "HappyWomensDay2020" and
"MeraHijabMeriMarzi" (MyHijabMyChoice) both in the top Twitter
trends.
Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday said the observance
of International Women’s Day was reiteration of the government’s commitment to
undertake every possible effort to ensure equal rights and opportunities to the
women.
“In this effort, we are guided by the teachings of our
religion, the Seerat of Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the core values that
distinguish our society,” he said in a message.
He further said it was indeed encouraging to see that
the Pakistani women were proving their mettle in every walk of life and
achieving excellence in their respective fields at the national and
international level.
“I firmly believe that inclusive and sustainable
socio-economic development can only be ensured by providing equal opportunities
and a conducive environment to our women.
Source: The News Pakistan
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Saudi Women Lawyers Celebrate Advances In Legal
Profession
Sara Abdulhameed Naji,
senior legal consultant at Naji Khairan Law firm (Twitter: @SABAssociation)
-----
Hanouf Albalawi
March 10, 2022
RIYADH: Several Saudi women lawyers lauded the
government on International Women’s Day this week for helping females advance
their careers in the legal profession.
The lawyers are members of a Riyadh-based forum, part
of the Saudi Bar Association’s training academy, which has a joint agreement
with the Ministry of Education’s agency overseeing the awarding of scholarships
to prepare women for the workplace. The program is titled “Your Job and Your
Mission” and allows law firms to develop their staff.
Sara Abdulhameed Naji, senior legal consultant at Naji
Khairan Law firm, told Arab News: “On this day, we celebrate women in all
professions, especially a female lawyer, because she is a great and strong
woman.”
Naji said that women working in the profession have a
great deal to offer society, apart from their roles at home. Women have now
taken up senior legal roles, which was not the case five years ago.
“I am very happy because I am a lawyer, sister of a
lawyer, and a daughter of a lawyer … I conclude by saying women could not have
reached this point in their accomplishments without the support of the wise
leadership of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the support
of their families behind them as well. And I thank the women in the profession
for all their efforts.”
The women’s forum is dedicated solely to the
advancement of females at all levels in the profession, including students at
higher education institutions in Riyadh. They have worked with various bodies
since the Saudi government announced its plans to transform the judiciary.
Among the initiatives taken up was the Legal Volunteer
Marathon, during which lawyers and legal advisors offered their time for free,
running from International Law Day on Sept. 13 until the Kingdom’s National Day
on Sept. 23.
The services they provided included legal aid to the
needy, advice to budding entrepreneurs, running community awareness programs,
and training for new graduates. Established lawyers have been urged to support
these initiatives by registering as volunteers on the Saudi Bar Association
website.
Al-Jouhara Alonazi, who works for a law firm in
documentation and commercial arbitration in Riyadh, and is a member of the
national bar association, told Arab News that the women’s forum was set up to
aid young female lawyers with their studies and career advancement. In
addition, its aim is to find new leaders for the profession at a national level
that can work with legal and civil society bodies in the regions to defend
women’s issues in general.
Source: Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2039616/saudi-arabia
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Abu Dhabi: Women healthcare workers put on dancing
shoes to ‘break the bias’
by Ashwani Kumar
8 Mar 2022
Some 200 female healthcare workers, including
frontliners, sang and choreographed a four-minute video to mark the
International Women’s Day. Those women, who were not on duty, swapped their lab
coats with trendy dance costumes to support a global campaign: #BreakTheBias.
Aiming to mark the day in a different manner, the
healthcare workers of Burjeel Day Surgery Center on Reem Island created a cover
version of the soundtrack ‘This Is Me’ from the musical ‘The Greatest Showman’.
The virtual musical is a collaborative effort of the
frontliners and the staff of the hospital’s human resources department. Eilene
Mandac and Fidora Fernandes, from the HR department, proposed the concept,
which was realised with a week of practice and video shot by creating a
temporary studio.
Fernandes, HR manager, said: “We planned to do
something different for International Women’s Day. We chose the song ‘This is
Me’ as the lyrics were in line with this year’s theme of ‘Break the Bias’. The
song is about asking the world to accept us the way we are.”
The eight singers and eight dancers featured in the
video work across different departments like nursing, hospitality, speech therapy,
etc. Many of them were on the frontlines during the pandemic and engaged in
Covid-19 vaccination, PCR testing etc. Others, including 20 doctors and 80
nursing staff, are perfectly in sync with each other and beaming with pride.
“We wanted to send a message to the ladies out there
and encourage them to ‘Break the Bias’. This is what motivated us to be part of
the video. The song, dance, and the teamwork behind the video were totally a
novel experience for all of us,” said Dr Nermine Kamel, specialist, family
medicine.
From the choreography to the recording, the employees
carefully planned out every aspect of the video.
“Everything has been done in-house. We didn't go to a
special studio for recording but created a makeshift studio in the facility
itself and used it to record the song. We know that we tried to make a cover
video of such a big hit. Being amateurs, we tried our best to deliver it,” says
Diana Marie Masanque, registered nurse, in-charge of the outpatient department.
“Making this video has been a fun opportunity that
allowed us to explore our creative sides. It also reminded us that we could
come together to achieve anything we set our minds to,” said Z. Sharel Noronha,
speech therapist.
Source: Khaleej Times
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Female Foreign Ministers call on Taliban to lift
restrictions on Afghan women
Mar 10, 2022
In a meeting held in Afghanistan, the female Foreign
Ministers of at least seventeen countries across the world have expressed deep
concerns regarding human rights violations and restrictions against women in
Afghanistan, said a media report.
Expressing concern on suppression of women in
Afghanistan, the Foreign Ministers called on the Taliban to lift all
restrictions, especially education barriers, against Afghan women, Tolo News
reported.
"Ministers expressed deep concern about human
rights violations, especially the denial of women and girls from full access
and participation in education...It is essential that the Taliban lifts all
barriers and prohibitions against the full participation of women and girls in
genuine education and schooling," said the statement released after the
meeting, which was held virtually and hosted by Australia.
The participants of the meeting also decided to
continue close monitoring of the Taliban's actions, especially those related to
the female population.
Notably, this comes as US special envoy for Afghan
Women and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, on International Women's Day, stressed the
importance of participation of Afghan women for an inclusive, stable and
economically viable Afghanistan, reported the media outlet.
Meanwhile, Afghan women who lost their jobs after the
Taliban takeover of Afghanistan asserted that the role of women must not be
ignored in society.
"Our politicians followed and implemented wrong
approaches in Afghanistan which made the country poorer and more
desperate," the Afghan news quoted Farah Mustafawee, a women's rights
activist, as saying.
However, taking to Twitter, Taliban spokesperson
Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to
upholding the Sharia rights of all Afghan women.
Notably, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in
August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely
excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Lack of women in Iraq’s security forces creating gap
in civilian protection
08-03-2022
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The gender gap in the Iraqi
security sector and limited number of operational and decision making roles
available to women officers is contributing to significant gaps in civilian
protection - not least among the country’s female population - a new report
into the status of women in Iraq’s security forces released on Tuesday to mark
International Women’s Day has found.
A nominal percentage of women in security force roles
in both federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region combined with the lack of senior
positions are filled by female officers within police and military
institutions, the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) report finds, increases the protection risks for all civilians
and impacts the efficacy of security and intelligence operations across the
country.
In perhaps the most concerning finding from a security
perspective, CIVIC explains how the lack of female officers conducting searches
of female civilians at checkpoints increases the exposure of security forces
and civilians to threats such as bombings from female militants. “Without a
robust cadre of female officers throughout the security sector, security forces
across the country will continually face critical mission success challenges,”
the report warns.
Based on over 50 interviews with officers and
civilians in federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region between July 2019 and
November 2021, a project instigated by Paula Garcia, the research examines the status
of women's participation in Iraq's security forces, obstacles that inhibit
women from joining or being promoted within the military and police, and the
effects of the gender gap in women's representation within Iraq's security
sector.
To commemorate International Women’s Day, it sets out
a series of recommendations for concrete actions to improve the situation
including - above all - attempts to make
Iraq’s security forces better reflective of the population and
meaningful inclusion of more women in positions of influence.
To the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) it calls for increased support for security infrastructure,
with attention to facilities and uniforms suitable for female officers,
trainers, and supervisors, awareness-raising campaigns targeting the Iraqi
population to tackle stereotypes and biases as well as shifting community
perceptions on women holding operational and high-authority roles in the
security sector, and enacting and enforcing laws and policies that forbid,
prosecute, and punish harassment and bias based on gender in and by security
institutions, among other suggestions.
"To ensure civilian protection in Iraq, the
security forces must represent equally all Iraqi people,” CIVIC's Iraq
Researcher and author of the brief Jordan Lesser-Roy said. “As it currently
stands, Iraqi security forces lack vital female voices and inputs at the
officer and leadership levels.”
“Without improvements in the recruitment, retention,
and promotion of women within Iraq's security sector, female civilians will
continue to experience gaps in protection and the forces themselves will
struggle to achieve maximum operational efficacy," she continued.
Even where female officers operate, the report says,
they tend not to be in key decision-making roles, providing plenty of examples
of toxic power dynamics and harassment by male officers among both the
vulnerable female civilian population and fellow officers. One interviewee - a
female police officer in Mosul - summarises the situation as she sees it.
"Filling complaints, taking witnesses statements, or conducting
investigations, it is all in men's hands… female police officers are outside
[the police station] searching women coming into the building. That's their
only role."
An anonymous female Peshmerga officer shares her
thoughts on the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Peshmerga saying, "Whenever
they send a letter or make a statement, they say that they welcome women
integration in the force and that they encourage women to join, but in practice
they don't implement the decisions to make this possible. If they favor so much
gender equality, then why haven't they created and staffed yet the gender unit?"
Speaking to Rudaw English on Monday, Lesser-Roy
outlined the report’s findings in further detail, acknowledging that female
representation among security forces is far better in the Kurdistan Region,
compared to federal Iraq - an achievement she linked to the Region’s culture
and history. Even so, more progress is desired to avoid relegating women to
subordinate positions, or only in higher roles in the KRG’s Combating Violence
Against Women Directorate, for example/
“It is normal for police stations to lack the presence
of trained female officers,” Lesser-Roy continued, and this absence is
concerning for civilian women in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region because they are
then effectively prevented from accessing resources and seeking justice for
violations or abuses because of cultural and patriarchal restrictions.
Barriers to women's inability to the security sector
in Iraq include a conservative culture, infrastructure, and policy issues
within the forces, as well as a lack of political will, the report says. Within the forces, issues such as hiring
policies, capacity-building and training all play a part in contributing to an
unwelcoming environment for women.
Iraq suffers from high rates of gender-based violence,
including sexual violence, domestic violence, so-called honor violence, child
marriages, and female genital mutilation. While, unlike federal Iraq, the
Kurdistan Region has passed domestic violence legislation and has a dedicated
directorate to deal with violence against women and girls, recent weeks have
seen a string of femicides.
The report is focused on the representation of women
in positions in Iraq’s security forces, but Lesser-Roy told Rudaw English that
there is a connection between the impact of female representation in law
enforcement and in decision making roles within the security sector, and
policies aimed at tackling the high rates of violence against women.
Twenty-four women were murdered in the Kurdistan
Region in the past year, according to statistics from the Directorate of
Combatting Violence against Women. Already this week, at least two women have
been killed - Shame Ismael, 43, in Khanke camp, near Dohuk, and Eman Sami
Maghdid, 20, in Erbil - taking the toll of women killed in the Region since the
year began to double digits.
The existence of a patriarchal system and lack of
representation across the country is an issue for all Iraqis, and an attitude
of prejudice against the inclusion of women in security forces is pervasive
across the world. This International Women’s Day, CIVIC’s report hopes to
challenge this view.
Source: Rudaw
https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/070320222
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Turkish women hold rallies against male violence on
Women’s Day
March 08 2022
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, observed
to honor the social, political and cultural achievements and primarily rights
of women worldwide, women in Turkey are holding rallies to mark the day and
protest the rampant problem of male violence and sexism.
Hundreds of women gathered in major cities, speaking
against patriarchy, sexism and gender-based discrimination.
A crowd with banners, posters and purple flags
protested femicides and suspicious deaths of women in Istanbul’s Kadıköy
district, one of the busiest hubs of the Turkish metropolis.
“We don’t shut up, we don’t fear, we don’t obey,”
“Together we will win,” and “Down with the male-dominated capitalist system,”
read the banners held by participants.
Demonstrations began with the speeches made by
representatives of women’s organizations and continued with a torch-liting
ceremony and traditional halay dances with music.
“Femicide can be prevented. We can fight inequality.
We will do this with our organized struggle,” said a speaker, referring to the
increase in the number of victims across the country.
Some 72 women were killed in 2022 alone in Turkey,
according to a recent report released by the Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız
Platformu (We Will Stop Femicides Platform), an organization that monitors
violence against women.
However, according to experts and activists, the
number of unrecorded cases in the country could be far higher as femicides are
often filed under “suicides” or “accidents.”
“Women in this country are constantly falling from heights.
And there is always a man with them. And that man always has some strengths.
There are men who think they can escape punishment,” the speaker added.
Meanwhile, some small-scale events were also held in
the capital Ankara, the Aegean province of İzmir and the southern province of
Adana on March 6.
‘Feminist night walk’
The largest of the traditional events to be held in
line with the International Women’s Day celebrations will take place tonight
with the participation of tens of thousands of women in major cities, including
Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir.
Like every year, women will hold a “feminist night
walk” on İstiklal Avenue in Istanbul and Sakarya Street in Ankara this year,
marking the continuation of the world-renowned “Reclaim the Night” movement.
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
On March 8, public transport in some cities will be
free for women all day long.
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UNFPA, NCW thank Egypt’s First Lady for her support
for women's empowerment
08 Mar 2022
CAIRO – 9 March 2022: On International Women's Day,
the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Egyptian National Council
for Women (NCW) expressed their gratitude to Egypt’s First Lady Intissar
al-Sisi for her sponsoring Egyptian women’s empowerment for a better future for
their country.
The statement of gratitude:
“UNFPA would like to thank Her Excellency the First
Lady of Egypt Mrs. Intissar al-Sisi for sponsoring the Noura program, supported
by UNFPA, which aims at reaching every girl in Egypt to empower her to realize
her full potential.
Her Excellency’s patronage is an affirmation of the
national commitment to invest in adolescent girls and ultimately achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
UNFPA is proud of her Excellency’s endorsement of
Noura, which prioritizes building girls’ health and social assets as well as
their educational skills and empowers them economically to achieve a better
future for themselves and for Egypt.”
Meanwhile, the Egyptian National Council for Women
(NCW), headed by Dr. Maya Morsy, gave its sincere thanks and appreciation to
the First lady for sponsoring the “Dawwie” and “Noura” initiatives launched by
the Council to empower the Egyptian girl. In the villages of a decent
life..This came during the celebration of the Egyptian woman, the icon of
success.
On October 17, 2021, El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) and
UNFPA Egypt launched Noura initiative. Looking to 'invest in girls in Egypt',
the initiative provides support for disenfranchised young women across Egypt. The
initiative comes under the umbrella of The Girls Assets Framework, a program
with the aim of providing guidance to design and implement girl-centered
programs focused on reaching the most marginalized adolescent girls.
In 2019, the NCW launched the Dawwie [echoed voice]
initiative with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund
"UNICEF,” in cooperation with the National Council for Childhood and
Motherhood (NCCM), and Ministries of Education, Technical Education, Health and
Population, Social Solidarity, Youth and Sports, Communications and Information
Technology, Culture, and the National Council for Persons with Disabilities,
and the National Population Council (NPC). The initiative aims at engaging
“adolescent girls and boys in activities that help them reach their full
potential,” said UNICEF.
First Lady Entsar El Sisi has greeted all Egyptian
women on International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8 of each year.
In a tweet Tuesday, Mrs. Sisi sent a message of pride
and appreciation to all Egyptian women, who make great sacrifices for the sake
of their children, husbands and siblings. They are, indeed, glory makers in a
homeland that is just as great as they are, Mrs. Sisi noted.
Source: Egypt Today
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/haya-march-aurat-pakistan-rights/d/126544