Aurat March Islamabad

Charter of Demands 2023

 Feminization of Climate Justice
Aurat March Islamabad 2023

Idealogical Context
Aurat March Islamabad is an independent, non-partisan, intersectional feminist
collective founded on February 20th 2022. To strengthen the ongoing struggle,
many feminists in the city created the Aurat March platform, where women,
transgender persons and non-binary people could exercise their political
agencies without the influence of any political party and challenge patriarchy
under the intersectional feminist framework. Aurat March Islamabad
ideologically is against all forms of exploitation based on gender, ethnic
identity, sect, class, sexuality and nation by Capitalism, Religious
Fundamentalism, Global Imperialism, and new forms of feudalism. Like last year,
this year, Aurat March will gather outside Islamabad Press Club to
commemorate International Women's Day on March 8th 2023.

Aurat March has consistently highlighted the challenges women across the
country face because of patriarchal oppression, and this year it will focus on
Climate Change as its central theme. Although natural disasters such as floods
and earthquakes do not discriminate in their destruction, socioeconomic
inequalities make some groups more vulnerable to getting killed in the
aftermath of these calamities. Women, especially those from rural and working-
class backgrounds, are one such group. Many studies have demonstrated that
large-scale natural disasters have considerably lowered the life expectancy of
women. While there are several reasons for that, the most prevalent being the
cultural norms and caregiving responsibilities of women, which cause women
not to prioritise themselves and seek help immediately. Pakistani women,
mainly from rural communities, have similar tendencies because of the deeply
patriarchal society.

Pakistan is ranked among the top fifth most vulnerable countries on the index
rate of climate change. Still, Pakistan's Environmental protection budget 2022-
2023 allocation remained as low as 10 billion rupees, not enough to combat
massive heatwaves, floods and other natural disasters. The previous
government reportedly allocated Rs109.38 billion to the "10 billion Tree
Tsunami" project and failed to ensure accountability of funds.
 Feminization of Climate Justice
Aurat March Islamabad 2023

Idealogical Context
All these state measures failed terribly to prevent the devastations of recent
floods in Pakistan. The floods have affected over 33 million people and
destroyed or damaged more than 1 million houses. At least 1,100 people were
killed by floodwaters that inundated tens of thousands of square kilometres of
the country. Around 150 bridges and 3,500 kilometres (2,200 miles) of roads
were damaged, and more than 700,000 livestock and 2 million acres of crops
and orchards were destroyed.

On top of that, inflation in Pakistan set a new record in January 2023 and
reached the highest level of 48 % after 1975, owing to supply constraints since
thousands of containers of food items, raw materials and equipment are
trapped at ports. We consider climate change a byproduct of Global Capitalism
that has contributed to the degradation of the environment through its
exploitative and expansionist approach towards economic growth. Poor
developing countries like Pakistan bear the brunt of consumerist culture,
privatisation of natural resources, rent-seeking policies, IMF debts and global
expansion of the neo-liberal market economy despite having less than 1 %
contribution to global warming. Moreover, Anti-poor policies of IMF have also
affected people in Pakistan due to heavy taxation on utilities and basic
necessities.

Among the most affected during the flood and ongoing economic crisis are
women from low-income groups who faced the devastating impacts of floods
due to deeply-rooted systematic patriarchal & capitalist oppression. This year
Aurat March Islamabad has chosen "Feminization of Climate Justice" as its core
theme to address and highlight the gendered impacts of climate change on
women and their absence from the environmental justice policy, activism and
practice at all levels. Due to displacement caused by floods, women face both
psychological and physical forms of violence and become subject to rape,
harassment, abductions, sex trafficking and early and forced marriages and face
period poverty. Since women are solely responsible for socio-reproductive
labour at home during and after disasters, so they become burdened with more
unpaid care work with severe nutritional deficits.
Therefore this year, we demand climate justice for women and vulnerable
groups in Pakistan by focussing on "Feminization of Climate Justice".
 Charter of Demands
Feminizing Climate Justice:
1. The government ensures at least 50% of women's
participation in climate change-related decision-
making at Pakistan's grassroots and national levels.
2. Immediate rehabilitation of all flood-affected
communities and compensation for the damage to
their houses, livestock, agriculture and livelihood.
3. The government agencies and climate change
policymakers must shift from a technical and
administrative approach to address climate-stressed
situations to a more social and vulnerability-focused
approach, as disasters are not gender-neutral and
have a differential impact on women and marginalised
sections of society.
4. Professional training on gender-centric
environmental justice must be imparted to ensure the
policies are responsive to the needs of women in
Pakistan's urban and rural areas.
5. The government invest in building resilient local
communities through disaster preparedness, mitigation
and response training.
6. We demand that the state use local media outlets
to raise awareness of environmental and climate crises
and issues concerning women and marginalised
groups, such as the vulnerability of women and
children in a disaster situation, disaster preparedness,
early warning systems and guidelines regarding land
encroachment near rivers to prevent loss of lives during
floods.
7. We demand a judicial inquiry against the power
nexus between the landed political elite and land
mafias such as Bahria Town and Defence Housing
Authority for displacing indigenous communities and
destroying the ecology, flora and fauna in the name of
so-called development in Malir, Multan and other
cities.
End to Period Poverty:
8. We demand that period products be accessible to
all women, regardless of their socio-economic status
or geographic location. This includes providing free
period supplies in community centres, health clinics,
and shelters and ensuring menstrual products are
available in all public restrooms.
9. We demand that period education be made a
mandatory part of the middle school curriculum. This
comprehensive education should cover menstrual
health, hygiene, and management topics. It should also
be inclusive of all genders and include information on
different menstrual products.
10. We demand free period supplies be available in all
schools, including rural ones. Schools should also
ensure clean and accessible bathrooms for
menstruating students. The lack of access to period
products and appropriate facilities is a significant
barrier for girls to attend school, which hinders their
education and future opportunities.
11. We demand the removal of luxury tax on period
supplies. The high cost of these supplies and the luxury
tax make it difficult for women, especially those in rural
areas, to access affordable period products. This basic
necessity should not be treated as a luxury item.
12. We demand an end to the stigma and shame
associated with menstruation. Menstruation is a
natural bodily process, and we must work to change
cultural attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate negative
stereotypes and discrimination. This includes promoting
positive representations of menstruation in media and
advertising and providing education and awareness
campaigns to promote menstrual equity and break
down harmful stereotypes.
13. We demand increased funding for research into
menstrual health and hygiene. This includes analysis on
the causes and treatments of menstrual disorders and
the development of sustainable and affordable
menstrual products.
 Charter of Demands
Economic Justice:
14. We demand that the government allocate sufficient
funds and interest-free loans to rehabilitate women
farmers, sharecroppers, and small landholders in Sindh,
Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit
Baltistan and AJK so they can recover from the
damages of recent floods and sustain their livelihoods.
15. We demand that government must regularise
contracts of all daily wagers, including teachers,
nurses, doctors, municipal workers, etc.
16. We demand a living wage and protection from
harassment and dignity in the workplace for the
working class, including women, men and transgender
persons.
17. We demand that the state provide social security to
all men, women, the elderly and persons with disability
who are recently affected by the floods.
18. We also demand that the state must provide
income opportunities to transgender persons who had
been in hiding, fearing for their lives after the
transphobic smear campaigns orchestrated by the likes
of Maria B and Senator Mushtaq.
19. We demand that the right to unionisation be given
so that the students and labourers working in
corporations, factories, and real estate could raise
their voices against capitalistic exploitation.
20. We demand formalisation of the informal sector
where most women are working and not entitled to
benefits given under the country's labour laws.
21. We demand budgetary allocation for universal
childcare in all formal workplaces across Pakistan.
22. The state must launch massive land reforms and
allot land to women, addressing land inequality.
23. We demand that the state revise the civil
inheritance laws to ensure women receive their rightful
equal share.
24. We demand dignified public, low-income housing
schemes for women and vulnerable groups across
Pakistan.
25. We demand cuts in the defence budget and
instead utilise it for development purposes such as
health, education, and skill development of young
women and men.
26. We demand that the government and CDA end the
so-called encroachment drives against Khokhas in
Islamabad, which affects the income of the poor
working class in the city.
End to Patriarchal Violence against
Women:
27. We demand justice for women in Pakistan who
have been murdered, mutilated, harassed, trafficked,
and forcefully converted in 2022. We grieve for the
murder of Daya Bheel, the abduction of Mahil Baloch,
F9-Park and Vehari Rape Incidents and the murder of
an innocent girl from Barkhan Balochistan who was
killed in the name of honour. We ask state institutions
to improve their judicial and investigation processes to
increase the conviction rate of crimes against women.
28. Given the rising gender-based violence, we
demand that Pakistan declare an emergency and take
an ecological approach to stop all forms of direct,
cultural and structural violence against women.
29. All federal and provincial governments must put in
place support structures for survivors of violence, such
as shelter homes, crisis centres, free legal aid, psycho-
social counselling and rehabilitation support so that
they rebuild their lives.
30. Police must be gender-sensitized to investigate
gender-based crimes in an informed manner and be
adequately trained to gather evidence.
 Charter of Demands
31. The conviction rate for gender-based violence is
less than 1%. We demand the end of the culture of
impunity in gender crimes. In such cases, the judiciary
must dispense justice in the shortest possible time (6
months).
32. We demand that a national-level media campaign
be developed to create social awareness and zero
tolerance for violence against women.
33. We demand that relevant agencies be influential in
curbing digital violence against women.
Rule of Law & Political
Representation:
34. One of the major agendas of Aurat March is to
demand increased political participation and
representation of women in parliament.
35. We demand that the gender gap in voter
registration, which is still 8.9 million, be bridged before
the upcoming election.
36. We demand that the state take adequate
measures to ensure that women are not prevented
from casting their votes because of oppressive social
norms and that immediate action is taken in case of
such a case arises in any constituency.
37. We demand that the gender quota in the
legislature be increased to 33%, and the modality of
the direct election on reserve seats for women should
be adopted.
38. We demand amendments in Election Act 2017 to
make it mandatory for political parties to give at least
33% representation to women in their decision-making
bodies and ensure that at least 33% of party tickets
are given to women members.
39. We demand that at least 33% of women
parliamentarians be included in the cabinet and the
standing parliamentary committee.
40. We demand that violence against women in
politics be curbed, and stringent actions be taken
against those who indulge in sexual harassment,
passing indecent remarks, and threatening or
humiliating women politicians.
41. We demand an end to character assassination and
abductions of women politicians and journalists by the
state authorities since this creates a hostile
environment for women and discourages the
participation of women in political spheres in the
future.
42. We demand that all attempts by the state and its
institutions to suppress the voice of dissent shall be
treated as a violation of the fundamental rights of
citizens as per the constitution of Pakistan.
43. We demand that freedom of expression, assembly
and protest be protected, and actions should be taken
against those who suppress this right of citizens.
44. We demand that the Pakistani government
highlight the plea of Afghan, Kashmiri, Yemeni, and
Irani women on all platforms, demanding an end to
state-sponsored patriarchal oppression against them.
45. We demand Pakistani state end extra-judicial
murders and forced abductions of Baloch, Pushtoon,
Sindhi and other religious minorities by the law
enforcement agencies and take action against the
forces which have abridged the constitutional rights of
citizens of the state for no crime.
Health and Education
46. We demand rehabilitation of all public schools and
Basic Health Units damaged after the floods to prevent
the drop-out rate of girls and boys in all affected
provinces.
47. We demand that the government take immediate
actions to provide all the flood-affected women living
in shelters safe health care with adequate privacy and
ensure that the education of young girls and boys is
not interrupted.
48. We demand that education and health services be
accessible to rural women by establishing more public
schools and hospitals, especially in remote areas such
as Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral, where students and
patients must travel for hours, often on foot, to avail of
these facilities.
49. As most public schools and hospitals are
understaffed, we demand that the government ensure
the provision of sufficient teachers and medical staff
at these facilities.
50. Considering the low quality of education and
health facilities the state provides, we demand
effective measures to improve the quality of education
in public schools and hospital services.
51. After disasters, women lack enough nutrition to
conceive or raise a child efficiently. Therefore, we
demand that the state take severe awareness-raising
measures regarding birth spacing and family planning,
especially after floods.
52. We demand that at least 33% of women
parliamentarians be included in the cabinet and the
standing parliamentary committee.
53. We demand that special attention be paid to the
specific needs of female students and parents and
that gendered analysis of the institution is conducted
to make them responsive to such needs.
54. We demand that the education curriculum be
reformed to represent marginalized religious and
ethnic communities in a positive light and remove all
the exclusionary and hateful content.
55. We demand that the buildings of public schools for
girls are made secure through the construction of
boundary walls and safe toilets with running water, as
the lack of these primary facilities is the reason for the
high percentage of girls drop out, especially after
puberty.
56. We demand that sanitary pads and other essential
period-related things be provided free of cost at
public schools to retain female students.
57. Pakistan is ranked among countries with high
maternal mortality rates and further inequalities in
access to health facilities, resulting in a considerably
higher proportion of mortality among rural women
during childbirth. We demand that government must
ensure the provision of maternity care in all villages in
rural areas throughout the year and increase the
number of skilled midwives who can provide better
antenatal and delivery care.
59. We demand that the government design
awareness-raising campaigns address the exclusionary
social practices preventing women from seeking
medical help and not getting an education.
60. We demand that the education and health budget
be increased to five per cent of the GDP and all the
recent cuts made be reversed.
We call upon all conscience citizens of the country
and the secular democratic force to join hands
with women to smash the patriarchy by raising
their voices and fighting against all expressions of
patriarchy in the sociocultural, economic and
political spheres.
See you all at Islamabad Press Club on 8th March
2023 at 2:00 PM.