Netizens outraged after Sheema Kermani, other Aurat March organisers briefly detained in Karachi
Seven activists were arrested outside Karachi Press Club on Tuesday while attempting to enter to hold a press conference.
Former Miss Universe Pakistan Erica Robin is disgusted by women bringing down other women when it comes to fighting for their rights in Pakistan.
The model posted a video message on Wednesday reacting to the arrest of classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani and other organisers of the Aurat March on Tuesday.
“I woke up today to the disgusting, disturbing news that Aurat March has yet to receive their NOC [no-objection certificate] for their peaceful march on May 10. They were fighting for the NOC, but women were dragged… by other women. I think it’s a very very shameful act that we don’t respect our women in our country,” she said in the first of three clips posted to her Instagram account.
Robin, who had shared a reel showing Kermani being manhandled and pushed into a car by the police, said she was appalled at the comments under the post. “Forget men, women are so happy and I am sure these are the same women who get beaten and abused by their fathers and brothers and they continue to adjust and live with them,” she said.
“It’s a really, really shameful act that we can’t breathe freely in our country, we can’t speak freely. If we speak about marital rape, harassment, equal rights, [our speaking up] becomes the biggest issue in the country,” she said in the second clip.
She urged everyone in Karachi who was able to join the march to go and show solidarity on Sunday. For those who couldn’t and those who were afraid to join — something that “totally makes sense because of the current situation” — she said the least they could do was talk about the cause and post about it on social media.
“Staying silent hasn’t really gotten us anywhere, nor will it,” the model said.
In another appeal to “influential” men and women on her story, Robin asked them to “take a moment to acknowledge the women being arrested for peacefully marching for equal rights” amid all the hype around fashion and the Met Gala.
She said spreading the much-needed awareness cost nothing, reminding them that “fashion, glamour and social responsibility can coexist”.