Tired of abuse, Pakistani feminists ride bikes to claim public space
Dozens of women in Pakistan took part in female-only bike races in major cities on Sunday, in an event organised to challenge male dominance of public spaces in the country.
"Our strategy is simply to be visible in public spaces," said Meher Bano of Girls at Dhabas, a feminist group which organized the races after a woman from Lahore was pushed off her bicycle by a group of men last year for not responding to catcalls.
The bike race was one of many events organized in the last few years by Girls at Dhabas—the name given to roadside restaurants in Pakistan—to promote female participation in public events, fight restrictions faced by women in public places and increase awareness. "I drive on these roads all the time but this was maybe the first time I got to experience them while biking," said Humay Waseem, one of the riders on the 5-kilometre race around Pakistan's leafy capital Islamabad. "I loved the feeling of freedom with the breeze in my hair."
