Transgender women demand protection

Representatives of vulnerable communities highlight discrimination at health facilities

KARACHI:

The Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA) and Aurat March officials held a joint press conference on Thursday demanding an end to what they called was “genocide of our khwaja sira sisters.”

According to a press release issued by the Aurat March and GIA four transgender women died in a month due to apathy of the society - two were murdered, while two died of being denied healthcare services.

The speakers said that Bijlee was a kind transgender woman who was known to be on good terms with her neighbours. Her primary source of income was begging. This week, she was strangled to death in her own house.

Toffe, was a young 19-year old transgender woman who was refused treatment at the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital because she was HIV-positive. She subsequently died because of denial of her basic right.

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The press release said that Sherly was so aggressively discriminated against in healthcare spaces that she was terrified to seek treatment when she needed it. Unfortunately, she passed away because of our healthcare system's transphobia.

“X - she was violently murdered in Lyari. Her family doesn’t wish to disclose her name because they are still being threatened by the murderer,” the press release stated.

“These were all khwaja sira women; our sisters. They were all deprived of their right to life in the most callous manner, but what makes it worse is that we didn’t even hear about them through our media,” the statement said.

Condemning the increase in violence and discrimination against the khawaja sira community, GIA and Aurat March said in the press release that the process to deprive them of their place in society began with the colonisation of South Asia.

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They maintained that prior to the arrival of British colonists and their social order, the kwaja siras enjoyed social recognition and employment in many dignified professions.

Khawaja siras are shut out of public spaces, healthcare, and educational institutions. Imagine going to a public health institution and being refused medical care because you are a khwaja sira; dying right after.  Imagine dying because you didn't get the adequate healthcare that our Constitution guarantees.

 Hundreds of khawaja sira women are killed and physically abused every year in Pakistan. Tragically, we don't see the media or state paying any attention to this issue.

Therefore, we demand:

A complete end to the genocide of our khawaja sira sisters. Stating their demands, GIA and Aurat March said:

“We demand a full and thorough investigation into the four murders, and demand that the state act against the perpetrators.

We demand the state take notice of the un-Constitutional discrimination of khawaja sira community at public and private health care facilities.

They also demanded the medical fraternity uphold its oath and provide healthcare to khwaja sira patients without discrimination. They urged the media to take notice of violence and discrimination against khwaja sira sisters. 

We demand that the federal and provincial authorities implement all obligations under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, including the establishment of protection centers and safe houses.