Several non-governmental bodies are taking active interest in improving the quality of life for transgender community
KARACHI: “Transgenders are not mentally ill, our gender should not be a questionable character,” stated Reema Phopho, head of the transgender community, in an interview earlier this month at Rise and Shine NGO. Most people do not even consider transgender persons as a part of their communities; massive rejections are often faced by the transgender in most parts of Pakistan. According to recent research studies conducted on transgenderism, approximately one out of 50 children is identified with a transgender tendency in Pakistan.
In 2009, the Supreme Court of Pakistan passed the order of including the category of ‘third gender’ in the national identity card form. However, despite some efforts at inclusion, transgender communities are considered symbols of shame and disgrace in the Pakistani culture. Most of these individuals never get a chance to acquire education in regular schools due to discriminatory treatment and disgusting attitude of fellow citizens. Consequently, most of these individuals have no other option but to make their living by singing and dancing alongside the road or at private parties.
Hamida Khala said in her interview, “there is no government aid or support system to help us, government institutions harass us instead of helping us.” In fact, in the last elections, many transgender persons in Pakistan wrote history by casting their votes to choose their political representative. Additionally, transgender members are usually not encouraged to live amongst regular neighbourhoods. They are bound to establish their own colonies outside of regular communities.
Besides the government finally, several non-governmental bodies are also taking some active interest in improving the quality of life for transgender community members. For example, one such name is Gender Interactive Alliance but due to there being no job opportunities or financial security by the government, most members of the community are forced to make their living by prostitution.
A myth seems to have formed that transgender persons cannot do any work except for sing and dance. They are not treated as equal; they live in secluded communities with their ‘own kind’, often in extreme poverty. This is like a war that these individuals have to fight. They are human beings, just like us and deserve as much of a right to education as the rest of us. These individuals have voices that are not being heard by anyone.
Syeda Maham Batool
Published in The Express Tribune, March 13th, 2017.
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