BY Jawad Janjua
It is officially that time of the year again when the internet is filled with a simple question, “Why do women need to march for their rights?” This naïve question is formulated in a way that makes the struggle the women go through less validated and make the march less important in the eyes of other men. Starting by addressing this question and the connotation that it carries, the question is formulated to make it seem like women have all their rights and are considered equal to the men by the social actors and this march is either their attempt at destroying the family system or spreading immodesty in the land of the pure. For the sake of argument let us take the fact that women have been given all their rights, but then what explains the countless court cases which are either about the women not getting their rightful share in the property when it is divided among the siblings. This serves as one of the examples of similar statements collapsing because they lack any merit.
A society can only properly function when all the people that make the society are equally treated and given equal opportunity to reach their full potential. Doing this ensures that society reaches its maximum potential. It is common knowledge that when a group of people tends to outnumber the other group, they get to make policies that are more beneficial for them rather than the other group. This makes the need for women’s representation in different offices crucial to ensure that the policies ensure that the rights of every person are looked after and not ignored.
A common thing to do when faced with an opposing idea to what are considered to be the norms of the society is to consider it a foreign-funded attack on the family system of Pakistan. This cannot be further from the truth. Providing equal rights to women and giving them an equal say in decision making, whether it is the decisions of a state or a family. Taking the example of the family, if both man and woman are earning and providing for the family, it gives them independence and thus they do not have to agree to all the decisions. It ensures a way for healthy debate and makes the relationship stronger.
Another aspect that makes people uncomfortable while talking about the women’s rights march is the fact that most of the women that are marching for their rights are well-off women who have the resources and the rights they are asking for. The counterpoint to the march is said that the women who are struggling do not march. This is because they are not allowed to march. The women on the streets, who are marching for their rights, are not only marching for their rights, but also for the rights of those who are unable to make it to show their solidarity towards the women who are suffering. The rights that are being asked are not for the people who are shown carrying placards, but for the mistreatment across all class divides and genders.
People do agree with all of these points and then they counter with the point that they do not like the way it is carried out. By this, the point in focus is the placards that are raised. The thing with placards, in general, is that they are a tool to grab the attention of the people so that they can further research the topics and the story behind those placards. What we have done is that we have taken those placards and have limited the march to them. We have limited the struggle of the women and the feminist theory to the placards that enrage us, but we have never bothered to ask the question, “Why did that placard cause this sort of reaction from me?” That question requires self-analysis, which we are too afraid to do.
Now, the question that comes to mind is that how can men help? The first thing that can be done is to give the limelight and the stage to women and listen to what they are saying. Further, helping with organizing the march and providing security to the women who are marching is a good way to show that you’re an ally instead of posting on the internet. Another that can be done, an extreme step, is to convince your peers why the importance of this march and making the next generation better than last.
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