Aurat March was held for the sixth consecutive year on March 12, Sunday at Burnes Garden. The theme was food insecurity and inflation. “Riyasat jawab do, bhook ka hissab do,” (The state should be accountable for hunger) was this year’s slogan.

Women, trans people, members of marginalized communities, and male allies were among the many people who gathered to voice their demands. The importance of enforcing laws pertaining to women and transgender individuals in letter and spirit was emphasized.

The march featured speeches, poetry readings, performances, and testimonies from several groups, including victims of gender-based violence, bonded laborers, sextortion victims, and those affected by the floods.

This year’s participants held banners and placards with slogans about forced conversions, rape, harassment, transgender rights, domestic violence.

The organizers set out a long, white banner with the words “tumhara zulm yaad rahega” (Your cruelty will be remembered) written on it. Protesters dipped their hands in red paint and imprinted the entire piece of cloth to honor those who have died in the name of honor as well as those who are still suffering as a result of it.

The cloth was then set on fire at a crowded chowk during the march as a representation of the anger and horror women experience every day.

Many khwajasira, including activists Shehzadi Rai, Mehrub Moiz Awan, and Bindiya Rana, spoke about the recent wave of anti-trans lobbying which has surged since the Trans Protection Act was passed in 2018. (The Jamaat-e-Islami has been behind the hate campaign.)

Aurat March rolled out seven demands, including an end to forced conversions and child marriages in Sindh. This violates constitutional protections. They urged that the Sindh Child Marriage Restriction Act 2013 be put into effect right away.

They demanded that the federal government reinstate the Transgender People (Protection of Rights) Act 2018 in its entirety, including chapter II section 3, which safeguards the right of an individual to be recognized as transgender in accordance with their gender identity.

“We also demand that the government intervene to stop the rising levels of violence, particularly extreme mob violence, which are being utilized to terrorize and kill members of this underrepresented population.”

The organizers pushed for the creation of secure homes and financially supported shelters for women in every district of Sindh.

The participants marched toward the Sindh Assembly via the Arts Council of Pakistan. The marchers then staged a short sit-in in front of the Sindh Assembly where activists performed a skit highlighting rape.

Aurat March is usually held on March 8, which is international women’s day, but the Karachi organisers decided to hold it on March 12 as it was a Sunday. This would have made it possible for many working women to attend.