Organisers of Pakistan's International Women's Day rallies have received death threats after a "vicious smear campaign" saw doctored images of the event circulate online.

Thousands took part in marches across the country on Monday calling for women's rights, but fake images of the events quickly went viral in deeply conservative Pakistan, appearing even on popular television shows.

In one clip, the sound was altered to suggest participants in Karachi were chanting blasphemous slogans against the Prophet Mohammed — an act which carries the death penalty in Pakistan.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-govt-candidate-sanjrani-wins-senate-chairmanship-after-chaotic-scenes-369974" hreflang="en">Pakistan: Govt candidate Sanjrani wins Senate chairmanship after chaotic scenes</a>

Another photo was shared by a politician and shown on television with the false claim that women were waving a French flag -- when it was actually the banner of a Pakistani feminist organisation.

Anti-France sentiments remain rife in Pakistan after French President Emmanuel Macron defended the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed -- a red line for many Muslims.&nbsp;

"This is a way for the conservatives to push us back and the eventual goal here is for the Aurat March to not happen again," said Moneeza Ahmed, an organiser of the Karachi march, who described the threats as "traumatic".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nawaz-sharif-says-pm-imran-khan-senior-military-officials-will-be-responsible-if-anything-happens-to-daughter-369967" hreflang="en">Nawaz Sharif says PM Imran Khan, senior military officials will be responsible if 'anything' happens to daughter</a>

Organisers in Karachi were threatened online, while more high-profile figures in Lahore said they had received "serious death threats" via email, telephone and in text messages.

They did not want to be named for fear of reprisal.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the "deliberate, vicious campaign" amounted to "an incitement to violence".

Also watch|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/ruckus-in-pak-senate-after-spy-cameras-found-hidden-inside-hall-watch-369911">Ruckus in Pak Senate after 'spy cameras' found hidden inside hall</a>

The annual rallies calling for women's rights have received a fierce backlash since they first began in Karachi in 2018, including legal challenges to have them banned.

In a society where women have been shot, stabbed, stoned, set alight and strangled for damaging a family's "honour", supporters have been accused of promoting Western, liberal values and disrespecting religious and cultural sensitivities.

Last year, Islamist counter-protesters hurled stones at women as they marched through Islamabad.&nbsp;

A statement signed by feminist journalists and supporters condemned the "malicious circulation" of misinformation against the march, and warned that “using religion and accusing people of blasphemy has serious consequences."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistan-senate-chairmanship-opposition-finds-secret-cameras-369901">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/pakistan-senate-chairmanship-opposition-finds-secret-cameras-369901/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"We’ve seen in the past how such allegations have led to people taking the law into their own hands," feminist author Nighat Saeed Khan told AFP.

Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan and while nobody has been officially executed, vigilante mobs have killed people accused of it.

In 2011, a provincial governor was assassinated by his bodyguard for criticising Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and for supporting a local Christian woman who had been sentenced to death a year earlier for blasphemy.

The woman, Asia Bibi, was in jail until 2019 when she was released and allowed to leave for Canada.

Organisers of Pakistan's International Women's Day rallies have received death threats after a "vicious smear campaign" saw doctored images of the event circulate online.

Organisers of Pakistan's International Women's Day rallies have received death threats after a "vicious smear campaign" saw doctored images of the event circulate online. Thousands took part in marches across the country on Monday calling for women's rights, but fake images of the events quickly went viral in deeply conservative Pakistan, appearing even on popular television shows. In one clip, the sound was altered to suggest participants in Karachi were chanting blasphemous slogans against the Prophet Mohammed — an act which carries the death penalty in Pakistan. Also read | Pakistan: Govt candidate Sanjrani wins Senate chairmanship after chaotic scenes Another photo was shared by a politician and shown on television with the false claim that women were waving a French flag -- when it was actually the banner of a Pakistani feminist organisation. Anti-France sentiments remain rife in Pakistan after French President Emmanuel Macron defended the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed -- a red line for many Muslims. "This is a way for the conservatives to push us back and the eventual goal here is for the Aurat March to not happen again," said Moneeza Ahmed, an organiser of the Karachi march, who described the threats as "traumatic". Also read | Nawaz Sharif says PM Imran Khan, senior military officials will be responsible if 'anything' happens to daughter Organisers in Karachi were threatened online, while more high-profile figures in Lahore said they had received "serious death threats" via email, telephone and in text messages. They did not want to be named for fear of reprisal. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said the "deliberate, vicious campaign" amounted to "an incitement to violence". Also watch| Ruckus in Pak Senate after 'spy cameras' found hidden inside hall The annual rallies calling for women's rights have received a fierce backlash since they first began in Karachi in 2018, including legal challenges to have them banned. In a society where women have been shot, stabbed, stoned, set alight and strangled for damaging a family's "honour", supporters have been accused of promoting Western, liberal values and disrespecting religious and cultural sensitivities. Last year, Islamist counter-protesters hurled stones at women as they marched through Islamabad. A statement signed by feminist journalists and supporters condemned the "malicious circulation" of misinformation against the march, and warned that “using religion and accusing people of blasphemy has serious consequences." WATCH | "We’ve seen in the past how such allegations have led to people taking the law into their own hands," feminist author Nighat Saeed Khan told AFP. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan and while nobody has been officially executed, vigilante mobs have killed people accused of it. In 2011, a provincial governor was assassinated by his bodyguard for criticising Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and for supporting a local Christian woman who had been sentenced to death a year earlier for blasphemy. The woman, Asia Bibi, was in jail until 2019 when she was released and allowed to leave for Canada.

Pakistan women's day organisers receive death threats

March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day all across the globe. It marks the success and highlights the challenges faced by women.

Thousands of&nbsp;women&nbsp;from Tokyo to Manila&nbsp;marched on Monday in defiance of power-grabbing generals and patriarchal governments, as rallies across the world&nbsp;kicked off a global&nbsp;day&nbsp;of action for International&nbsp;Women's&nbsp;Day.

The protests highlighted several issues ranging from the gender pay gap to sexual harassment.

Also see|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/this-is-how-womens-day-was-celebrated-world-over-368963" hreflang="en">This is how Women's Day was celebrated world over</a>

How far have we come?

The sati system, wherein a widow would throw herself on her husband's pyre and burn to death prevailed in India during the early 19th century. However, it is banned now.

Unfortunately, widows are still ostracised in several parts of the country.&nbsp;

There was a time when&nbsp;child marriage was rampant. However, today it is outlawed.

But according to a&nbsp;report,&nbsp;27 per cent&nbsp;of girls in India are married before their 18th birthday.&nbsp;Out of this,&nbsp;7 per cent&nbsp;are married before the age of 15.

Today, in theory, women are at par with men, at&nbsp;least in most countries.

How much of it translates into practice?

About a hundred people joined a march for International Women's Day in central&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;on Monday to call for gender equality in Japan.

Holding banners and chanting slogans such as "stop sexual harassment", protesters started the march from Shibuya, one of&nbsp;Tokyo's busiest shopping districts, and walked through the streets.

Hundreds of mostly female workers gathered outside government buildings in Sydney to condemn violence against women and call for greater gender equality in workplaces, amid growing scrutiny over the treatment of women in&nbsp;Australian politics.

A variety of workers - from nurses and teachers to hairdressers and transport workers - took part in the gathering. It comes as the government launched a A$19 million ($14.57 million) campaign urging people to speak up when they witness disrespect against women.

Hundreds of female&nbsp;demonstrators rallied in the Philippine capital on Monday to mark International Women's Day and took aim at the country's president Rodrigo Duterte for alleged rights abuses against women.

The protesters, most members of&nbsp;women's&nbsp;group Gabriela, marched through the streets of the capital near the presidential palace, and held a rally to criticise the government's efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the deadly crackdown.

Several hundred Muslim Uighur&nbsp;women&nbsp;in Turkey staged an International&nbsp;Women's&nbsp;Day&nbsp;march along the Bosphorus on Monday, demanding the closure of mass incarceration camps in China's Xinjiang region.

The protesters chanted "stop the genocide" and "close the camps" as they marched within a few hundred metres of China's walled-off consulate in Istanbul.

Hundreds gathered in the centre of&nbsp;Paris&nbsp;on Monday as they called for a day of "feminist strikes" and rallies, to denounce the injustices suffered by women.&nbsp;Several organisations and unions are calling for a strike to denounce pay inequality as women earn only 77 per cent of men's income.

According to Anna Azaria, the president of Women Equality Organisation,&nbsp;"Feminist jobs are poorly paid, and not valued. The pandemic shed light to their importance. So really, we're here to shout loud and clear that these jobs need to be re-evaluated and salaries need to be increased."

Hundreds of feminist protesters on Monday defied the government's ban of marches to celebrate International Women's Day and gathered in small groups across&nbsp;Madrid.

Last year's marches, which were attended by tens of thousands and promoted heavily by the left-wing coalition government, stirred a bitter row over whether they were super-spreader events for the coronavirus.

On March 4, the central government's chief representative in&nbsp;Madrid, Jose Manuel Franco, said proposed marches on March 7-8, would have brought at least 60,000 people to the capital's streets.

The decision sparked anger among feminists, and some gathering at Sol square slammed the government for not authorising the marches.

Women around the world are desperate to&nbsp;get the rights they are entitled to.&nbsp;They have been fighting for too long for the most basic of rights such as equality, safety and the right to work.

As per Article 14 of the Indian constitution, ''the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law.''

Last year, the government of India told the country's apex court,&nbsp;male troops won't accept women commanders.

In Nepal, women still die in menstrual huts because of cold and hunger and lack of proper healthcare.&nbsp;As a result of this, there is a rise in the number of cervical cancer cases.

In Afghanistan, women journalists are still attacked. While in&nbsp;Bangladesh, women sex workers are denied a proper funeral.

In El Salvador, women are jailed for miscarriage, while in&nbsp;Argentina, women are killed-- because they are women.

So while we celebrate the road we've travelled so far, we should&nbsp;not lose focus on the road ahead.

March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day all across the globe. It marks the success and highlights the challenges faced by women. Thousands of women from Tokyo to Manila marched on Monday in defiance of power-grabbing generals and patriarchal governments, as rallies across the world kicked off a global day of action for International Women's Day.

March 8 is celebrated as International Women's Day all across the globe. It marks the success and highlights the challenges faced by women. Thousands of women from Tokyo to Manila marched on Monday in defiance of power-grabbing generals and patriarchal governments, as rallies across the world kicked off a global day of action for International Women's Day. The protests highlighted several issues ranging from the gender pay gap to sexual harassment. Also see| This is how Women's Day was celebrated world over How far have we come? The sati system, wherein a widow would throw herself on her husband's pyre and burn to death prevailed in India during the early 19th century. However, it is banned now. Unfortunately, widows are still ostracised in several parts of the country. There was a time when child marriage was rampant. However, today it is outlawed. But according to a report, 27 per cent of girls in India are married before their 18th birthday. Out of this, 7 per cent are married before the age of 15. Today, in theory, women are at par with men, at least in most countries. How much of it translates into practice? About a hundred people joined a march for International Women's Day in central Tokyo on Monday to call for gender equality in Japan. Holding banners and chanting slogans such as "stop sexual harassment", protesters started the march from Shibuya, one of Tokyo's busiest shopping districts, and walked through the streets. Hundreds of mostly female workers gathered outside government buildings in Sydney to condemn violence against women and call for greater gender equality in workplaces, amid growing scrutiny over the treatment of women in Australian politics. A variety of workers - from nurses and teachers to hairdressers and transport workers - took part in the gathering. It comes as the government launched a A$19 million ($14.57 million) campaign urging people to speak up when they witness disrespect against women. Hundreds of female demonstrators rallied in the Philippine capital on Monday to mark International Women's Day and took aim at the country's president Rodrigo Duterte for alleged rights abuses against women. The protesters, most members of women's group Gabriela, marched through the streets of the capital near the presidential palace, and held a rally to criticise the government's efforts during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the deadly crackdown. Several hundred Muslim Uighur women in Turkey staged an International Women's Day march along the Bosphorus on Monday, demanding the closure of mass incarceration camps in China's Xinjiang region. The protesters chanted "stop the genocide" and "close the camps" as they marched within a few hundred metres of China's walled-off consulate in Istanbul. Hundreds gathered in the centre of Paris on Monday as they called for a day of "feminist strikes" and rallies, to denounce the injustices suffered by women. Several organisations and unions are calling for a strike to denounce pay inequality as women earn only 77 per cent of men's income. According to Anna Azaria, the president of Women Equality Organisation, "Feminist jobs are poorly paid, and not valued. The pandemic shed light to their importance. So really, we're here to shout loud and clear that these jobs need to be re-evaluated and salaries need to be increased." Hundreds of feminist protesters on Monday defied the government's ban of marches to celebrate International Women's Day and gathered in small groups across Madrid. Last year's marches, which were attended by tens of thousands and promoted heavily by the left-wing coalition government, stirred a bitter row over whether they were super-spreader events for the coronavirus. On March 4, the central government's chief representative in Madrid, Jose Manuel Franco, said proposed marches on March 7-8, would have brought at least 60,000 people to the capital's streets. The decision sparked anger among feminists, and some gathering at Sol square slammed the government for not authorising the marches. Women around the world are desperate to get the rights they are entitled to. They have been fighting for too long for the most basic of rights such as equality, safety and the right to work. As per Article 14 of the Indian constitution, ''the state shall not deny to any person equality before the law.'' Last year, the government of India told the country's apex court, male troops won't accept women commanders. In Nepal, women still die in menstrual huts because of cold and hunger and lack of proper healthcare. As a result of this, there is a rise in the number of cervical cancer cases. In Afghanistan, women journalists are still attacked. While in Bangladesh, women sex workers are denied a proper funeral. In El Salvador, women are jailed for miscarriage, while in Argentina, women are killed-- because they are women. So while we celebrate the road we've travelled so far, we should not lose focus on the road ahead.

International Women's Day: When will they be treated as equals

international-womens-day-2021

International Women's Day 2021, News on International Women's Day 2021, stories on International Women's Day 2021, articles on International Women's Day 2021, International Women's Day 2021 stories at Wion, International Women's Day 2021 news, International Women's Day 2021 latest news

international womens-day-2021

Pakistan women's day organisers receive death threats

International Women's Day: When will they be treated as equals