Sindh touts quota for transgender population
Following years of battling social stigma, discrimination and lack of access, Sindh’s transgender community has once again been made put its hopes up with promises of inclusion via affirmative action. This time around, a new law has touted increased access to the job market with a 0.5 per cent reserved quota for Sindh’s transgender community, the bill for which has met the cabinet’s approval and is ready to be presented in the Sindh Assembly.
Sources in the law department, sharing a copy of the bill, said that an amendment is being made to the Sindh Services Act 1973 for the appointment of transgender persons within basic pay scale 15 and under. “The history of transgender community is fraught with violence, social-political exclusion, economic inequality, insecurity and emotional insensitivity. In respect to which, the bill is aimed at creating space for this marginalised segment though inclusion in the mainstream society,” the source informed, addressing the aims and objectives of the said bill.
Speaking in the regard, a law department spokesperson said maintained the bill, which is soon to be passed, has been drafted following consultation with the local transgender community. “Currently, there are around 41,000 jobs that are vacant in various Sindh government departments, out of which some 206 jobs will be reserved exclusively for transgender persons,” he added.
All talk, no show
However, as per the highly controversial 2017 census, which remains rejected by the local transgender community, there are a total 10,418 transgender persons in the country, out of which 24 per cent live in Sindh. Earlier, in 2019, Sindh police had also made a similar attempt aimed at creating more jobs for the gender minority. The announcement made by then Sindh Inspector General Police Dr Kaleem had touted the induction of transgender persons in the police force. Where the statement was considered revolutionary and made headlines everywhere, the community is still waiting for it to be put into action.
“We have been hearing such news for quite some time, but nothing has been practically implemented so far. However, if and when the government finally turns its words into action, we will be there and ready to applaud,” Gender Interactive Alliance President and transwoman Bindiya Rana.
Rana, who had also fielded her form to contest the provincial assembly elections from Karachi in 2018, further said that it has taken her community decades to be recognised as equal citizens by the apex courts, before they could even approach the National Database and Registration Authority for issuance of CNIC cards as the third gender. “However, despite all the progress that appears to be made, many of my community members still have to face many roadblocks and severe humiliation when getting their ID cards made. The federal ministry of human rights passed the The Transgender Act 2018 to provide equality to our people and safeguard our rights, but I doubt this law is anything more than a piece of paper, considering three transgender persons have been killed in Karachi only in one month. The laws may be good, but their implementation has been the real challenge for this country,” said Rana, lamenting about the rising discrimination against her community.
Speaking in the same vein, representatives of Coalition for the Inclusive Pakistan (CIP), a non-government organisation working for the rights of persons with disabilities and the transgender community have however, demanded for the registration of transgender and disabled persons in the province. “The supreme court in its decision has directed the government regarding registration of transgender persons in letter and spirit because the 2017 census is not fair. We demand the formation of district level committees to facilitate transgender persons with disabilities in acquiring their CNICs and start their registration process. Separately, an exercise be initiated to provide the number of transgender voters in the country and include people who identify as trans-women (trans-feminine) in female voter lists and trans-men (trans-masculine) in male voter lists,” said Abid Lashari, one of the senior office bearers of CIP while talking to The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2021.