Mera Jism Meri Marzi — Not just a Mere Slogan

This time around Aurat March was much more than its presence, the stir was enormous to say the least. The slogan “Mera Jism Meri Marzi” became the talk of the town, not for good intentions but to humiliate women by the so-called wannabe feminists, the likes of Khalil-Ur-Rahman Qamar. Mr. Qamar proclaims to be a feminists just because he writes about women in his dramas. The irony as he gets license to insult, shout and harass women on national television talk shows because he gave hits after hits to the industry. The slogan is twisted, scrutinized and abused without understanding its true history, usage and intention. It is taken as a mean to infuse nudity in our society of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Host after host invited Mr. Qamar to talk about the “issue” as he brings in masala, some shouting and his flawed point of view which helps channels with sky-rocketing ratings. Just to give you some background, ‘My Body My Wish’ was used during the 18th century to represent the idea of personal bodily autonomy, bodily integrity and freedom of choice. Bodily autonomy constitutes of self-determination over one’s own body without external domination or duress whereas bodily integrity is the inviolability of the physical body and emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy, self-ownership, and the self-determination of human beings over their own bodies, whether male or female.

Even if you do not want to understand the notion behind it, raise your voice for your daughters, sisters, mothers and wives who face repercussions every day in many forms. Here is a list of reasons to ponder upon, a list which might stimulate your mind to think why Aurat March in the first place started or why it is important to raise our voices for women in our society who are humiliated and treated as third class citizens:

1. For the wife who is beaten to death for failing to make a gol roti
2. For the daughter trained to clean up after the sons because “yeh larkion ka kaam hai”
3. For the wife who’s asked to stay quiet after the husband slaps her “kyunke mard ko to ghussa aa hee jata hai kabhe kabhe”
4. For each and every girl who has wrapped her chaddar around herself a little more, locked the car or gripped keys tightly between her fingers while walking alone at night, knowing no matter how bold she is, her body and honor is at risk because the men around her haven’t been taught better
5. For the sisters who are made to feel worthless when their mothers are asked “beta nahe hai?”
6. For the girls who are buried alive because they brought “dishonor” to their family, tribe or clan
7. For the mothers who are abandoned with their daughters for not producing a male child
8. For the daughter who is asked to leave school because bhai’s (the Waris)’s education is far more important than hers
9. For all those young women who are condemned, shamed, beaten, tortured and burnt alive for having the courage to ask for their basic right to marry the man of their own choice
10. For the little girls who wash away their childhood and innocence with the “chilla shower” 40 days afters giving birth. Knowing they will be pregnant again because their first child was a girl
11. For the newly wed bride who died in the gas cylinder explosion for not bringing enough jahez
12. For the infinite girls raped in small towns, disowned by their families and left with no choice but to jump off roofs or in rivers near their homes because they brought “dishonor” by being raped
13. For the so many girls who are stopped from pursuing higher education because “kia kar loo gee itna parh kar, karni thou shaddi hee hai”
14. For the little beggar girls who are beaten by their mothers on roads for not wearing dupattas properly because “log kiya kahein gay?”
15. For the girls who have been made to feel like a burden on their parents because no one is willing to marry them without dowry
16. For the sisters who are sweet talked into giving up their inheritance for their brothers because “they have a husband to support them”
17. For the working women who stayed quiet when harassed at work because reporting it will not only cost them their job but also their respect as well
18. For the wives who are beaten up for not bringing some cash from her parents so the husband could start a business
19. For the mothers who have cried themselves to sleep knowing their daughters are surviving in abusive marriages but forced into silence by their husbands and family in the name of honor
20. For the girls who are scared and body shamed, sold whitening creams and wrinkle free creams in the name of good rishtas
21. For the numerous women who have survived years of physical and emotional abuse because their parents refused to accept a divorcee
22. For the 11 years old married to a 45 years old widower for money
23. For all the girls who have suffered at the hands of the society, which includes men and women, parents and strangers, relatives and friends which it comes to basic rights of education, choice, inheritance, career, expression and life

Let your daughters know her worth, right and duties and make your sons educated enough that they know better how to treat and respect a women. Even if you don’t want to march, raise your voice, set the momentum for the issues which rightly need our attention as a society. Believe in the basic principles of life and rights which even our religion Islam have given both men and women. And if you want to continue live in your bubble then stay quiet because if it isn’t happening in your family as you are privileged enough doesn’t mean it’s not happening at all.

Aurat March should not be used against women to subdue them, issues which should have been addressed by the society at large remain hushed and shushed because we have EGOs larger than half our population, i.e. WOMEN.