Senate passes bill to ensure rights of transgender persons

In a major step towards protecting rights of the transgender persons, the Senate on Wednesday passed a key bill to ensure the third gender’s protection against sexual and physical assaults and harassment.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) (Protection of Rights of Transgender Persons) Act 2017 criminalises a host of offences against the transgender persons and provides for awarding stringent punishments to the perpetrators.

According to the bill, kidnapping, abducting or inducing a transgender person to have illicit intercourse shall be punished with life imprisonment and fine.

Assault of criminal force on a transgender person with the intent to outrage his/her modesty is punishable for a term which may extend to two years or fine or both.

Assault or use of criminal force to a transgender person and stripping the victim of his/her clothes is punishable with death or life imprisonment and fine.

Procuration of a transgender person shall be punished with imprisonment extendable up to 10 years and fine. Importation of transgender persons from foreign country is punishable with imprisonment extendable up to 10 years and fine.

Kidnapping a transgender person shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment extendable up to 25 years and fine. Selling or buying a transgender person for prostitution shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment extendable up to 25 years and fine.

Rape of a transgender shall be punishable with death or imprisonment up to 25 years.

The bill also makes the denial of the right to admission to an educational institution punishable with up six-month to two-year imprisonment or fine extendable up to Rs300,000.

Depriving a transgender person from inheriting property shall be punished with 5-year to 10-year imprisonment or with a fine of Rs1 million or both.

Unlawful eviction of a transgender person from any place shall be punishable with up six-month to two-year imprisonment or fine up to Rs100,000.