
This fight starts from this slogan: “Mera Jism Meri Marzee”. In the very first place, one should explain the manifesto behind any slogan. The obstacle in understanding this slogan is actually having numerous movements continuing on women rights which includes legal or illegal abortion, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, rape, child marriages, domestic abuse so on and so forth.
In 2006, Tarana Burke a civil rights activist from Bronx, New York founded the “Me Too Movement”. She started using the phrase “Me Too” on social media to raise awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in society. Across the world in several countries including Pakistan this “Me Too movement” statrted in late 2018. Pakistan is one country where most sexual harassment cases go unreported because those who do come forward are abused and their character and morality are judged.
There after in 2019 hundreds chanted slogan in the USA for the campaign against abortion law with the slogan of “My body my choice” protested against the law which was passed in Obama Rule making abortion a felony in nearly all cases with no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. Governors in Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia have approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can happen as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. This movement “My Body My Choice” was actually a fight against ban on abortion which was entirely different from “Me Too Movement” which was against sexual harassment.
In 2018 in Pakistan Lady Health Workers Association started country wide movement called “Aurat March”. The march includes representatives from multiple women’s-rights organizations. The march called for accountability for violence against women, harassment at the hands of security forces, in public spaces, at home, and at the workplace. Reports suggest that more and more women rushed to join the march until the crowd was became scattered. Women carried posters bearing phrases such as ‘Ghar ka Kaam, Sab ka Kaam’, and ‘Women are humans, not honour’ became a rallying cry.The manifesto of Aurat March includes demands of economic justice, implementation of labour rights, Sexual Harassment Against Women Act 2010, provision of maternity leaves and day care centres, recognition of women’s participation in production of food and cash crops, rights for transgender community and the like.
It is very clear that the slogan “My body, my choice” started in USA was used which was actually in response to a law that forbid women to abort a child whatever the circumstances of pregnancy, allowing prostitution, organ sales, drug use sales, abolishing tax, etc. In Pakistan the Urdu Translation “Meri Jism meri marzi” initially begin when women started to use it against forced marriages, rapes, harassment, choice of dress and similar issues. However, this slogan has been used by some ill will persons who besides the manifesto of Aurat March started using the slogan and Aurat March controversial and silenced its manifesto along with almost every other real issue faced by women.
The usage of this slogan had nothing to do with the issues in Pakistan and was used to condemn the whole movement. In a society like ours one should condemn rapes, sexual harassment, forced marriages, illiteracy, domestic violence, acid victims, burnt victims, jahaiz/dowry by implementing our laws rather than using the slogans by mocking the whole scenario. Give woman their due respect, right to education, right to equality, right to freedom of speech and expression, right of inheritance, right to divorce, right to consent in choosing their life partners, right to raise their voice against every crime, last but not the least right to be accepted as a human being just like their counter parts.