LAHORE: Aurat March Lahore on Friday announced its manifesto for 2022 centering on the theme of “Reimagining Justice”.

The organisation released the manifesto through its digital channels and the event marks the fifth year of the march in Pakistan. This year’s theme is “Reimagining Justice” or “Asal Insaaf”.

The manifesto has been drafted after extensive research and meetings with relevant communities including families having enforced disappearances, domestic workers, victims/survivors of sexual violence and religious minorities.

The manifesto explores the experience of women and gender minorities within court, pointing out how the current system is inadequate for survivors of violence. Cases such as the acquittal of Qandeel Baloch’s murderer show how deeply flawed the criminal justice system is.

It thus demands more holistic reforms which seeks to transform society, provide psycho-social support to survivors of violence as well as rehabilitation for perpetrators.

The march advocates structural reforms that prevent patriarchal violence rather than short-term solutions such as capital punishment and chemical castration. It demands a radical shift in preventative policies: education, community building and social welfare should drive the solutions.

They stress the need to create a “culture of care” where communities support rather than victim-blame each other.

The Aurat March Lahore also seeks to include economic and environmental justice in our understanding of justice.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2022