Dozens of marches held across Pakistan to mark International Women's Day

Hardline clerics called for a ban on the events, calling them 'vulgar and pro-western'

Women's rights activists at a rally to mark International Women's Day in Karachi, Pakistan, on March 8. AFP

Thousands of activists marched in major cities across Pakistan on Tuesday to demand freedom from exploitation and an end to violence against women.

Dozens of demonstrations were held to mark International Women’s Day, despite threats from right-wing groups.

Police were present to prevent any violent backlash from hardline clerics, who had demanded that the rallies be banned, calling them “vulgar, pro-western and against the teachings of Islam".

In the port city of Karachi, a large crowd of female protesters gathered just across the road from the Jinnah Mausoleum, the symbol of the city and the last resting place of the country’s founder, Muhammed Ali Jinnah.

The rally, known as Aurat March in Urdu, was led by prominent women activists and young educated Pakistanis seeking safety and equality for women and LGBTQ groups.

Pakistan was ranked as the sixth most dangerous country for women, according to a Thomas Reuters Foundation poll in 2018.

The World Economic Forum’s recent global index on gender gap put the country at 153 out of 156 nations.

Protesters carried hand-written posters calling for an end to misogyny, unequal pay and exploitation of female workers.

Nurses and polio workers spoke out against poor working conditions, harassment and risks they face in delivering basic health services.

Young rap artists performed on stage to confront toxic masculinity and the subjugation of women.

Pro-democracy women activists delivered charged speeches against the alleged torture and abductions of their loved ones by state security forces.

“We demand respect for our fundamental rights and an end to impunity,” one speaker shouted.

Meanwhile, conservative opponents of the march, including the Jamaat-e-Islami party, held rival rallies.

Hundreds of women covered in hijab and burqas marched in Lahore and Karachi to assert that “Islam already protects women’s rights and dignity".

The women’s wing of the religious party emphasised the significance of "modesty" and repeated traditional family values in their slogan: “Strong women, strong family, strong society.”

“Who turns a house into a home?” asked a female marcher, before answering: “A mother, a daughter and a wife.”

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Yet somewhere in Pakistan women and children are raped, tortured and murdered every day, often by men closely known to them, rights groups say.

Most of these cases go unreported and fewer make it to the headlines. Even in high-profile criminal cases, influential culprits rarely pay for their crimes and are usually freed by the courts.

“The problem is our patriarchal system, which shapes our police, media and the judiciary and normalises violence against women and children,” said a volunteer for Women Action Forum.

“Changing that requires a paradigm shift. It requires empowering our girls but also changing the way we bring up our boys."