The recent video of a Transgender person, who was seen dancing for  getting  ration in Punjab speak volume of the plight of the trans people in Pakistan.

It is really disturbing to see that the trans man did not dance on his own but he was forced to dance to get ration at a government office. As the economic crisis has hit the entire nation, the vulnerable sections of the society like that of trans people are also facing further challenges, deteriorating their plight, forcing them to turn again and again to dancing and sex business to earn their bread.

Such despicable acts are a common practice in Pakistan when it comes to trans community, which is not safe anywhere in our society. On the other hand, the  transgender Protection Act 2018 which is aimed at safeguarding the basic rights of trans community has also been challenged  in Federal Sharia court by a religious party.

It means that the plight of the trans wo are sexually assaulted, killed, raped, and their bodies dumped in the open, will continue with no light in the end of tunnel.

In the wake of continued victimization of trans community, it is high time to sensitize the masses on the issues of this most vulnerable section of the society. We need to fairly deal with trans persons and at the same time, strict action is required against hate speech, bullying and body-shaming of the transgender persons.

The provision of fear-free environment is first requirement which will enable them to streamline into the society and become useful members of the society.

It is due to lack of provision of basic rights that trans genders are being victimized.

That’s why they are demanding the same. Last year, the tarns community members were on the roads holding a mega March Titled as ‘Sindh Moorat March 2022’, in which hundreds of transgenders took part in connection with the grand global March which is observed every year on Nov 20.

 The March participants were demanding criminalisation of the bullying, body-shaming and hate speech against them.

Besides, they also demanded0 the passage and protection of the Transgenders Protection of Rights Act “in its original form”.

It is very unfortunate that whenever the vulnerable sections of the society get some relief and protection from the state, some religious leaders start opposing those moves. The opposition by some religious parties against the Transgender Act 2018 is a case in point. The JUI-F and JI have been criticizing this act. The JUI-F has also moved the Shariat court against transgender act, asking the court to declare this Act as against Shariat.

On the other hand, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) is also critical of the Transgender Law, saying  some sections of the Act are not in accordance with Sharaiat and  may result in new social issues.

It may be mentioned here that Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act was passed by the National Assembly last week and it was actually enacted in 2018 and its basic aims is to protect the rights of the transgenders who are the most vulnerable section of the society, reeling in real pain and distress due lack of legal protections of their rights. The Act is aimed at provision of equal rights to transgender in the fields of education, basic health facilities, getting CNICs and passports, and it also guarantees their right to contest election and also cast their votes.

But the irony is that some religious parties view this bill as legalizing homosexuality in the society and damaging the social fabrics of the society.

On the other hand, the human rights activists have lauded this Law, saying it guarantees basic rights of the trans community and as such there is no need of propaganda against it.

As a matter of fact, the 11-page Transgender Law does not mention homosexuality or allowing trans to change their sex, or giving them a licence for unnatural acts of sex, it also does not allow marriage of the same sex persons, but even a fuss has been made of it which is a matter of concern.

The irony is that the transgenders have been killed with impunity across the country every now and then, but the religious parties never critcised this cruel practice in our society but now when the law to protect them has been made functional, they are have come to the fore to challenge its legality.

What our leaders fail to understand is that “Transgenders  are also humans and they must be given all due rights.

On the positive side is the coalition partners support for the rights of transgenders which shows that the issues of most vulnerable segment of the society, i.e., transgender persons, are getting due attention at provincial and central level in recent years.

Though the steps taken so far are not enough to provide full protection of life and property to these persons, yet they are steps in the right directions and with the passage of time and with the formation of more laws and more measures, these persons will be at par with other citizens of the society and will be able to stand on their own feet. Last year, the KP government enacted law to form an endowment fund for the well-being of trans persons which is quite in line with the earlier steps taken by the central and provincial governments as it will ensure a pathway to economic stability and empowerment of the trans persons, who are still depending on begging for their survival as the society do not let them do their own works and earn their livelihood through respectable jobs.

The bill is aimed at setting up of a an endowment fund to the tune of  Rs50 million for the welfare of transgender persons, who are in line of fire in the KP province for long and till now an estimated seventy transgender persons have been killed during the last  seven years in the province.

It may be recalled here that along with the government efforts, the trans persons themselves are also making efforts to bring them into the mainstream of society.

Since 2018, three trans persons have made to three different high-profile professions on their own and created history of a kind.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 21 2023

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