Even though slavery officially came to its end more than a century ago, covert manifestations of the dehumanising evil continue to plague the lives of millions of marginalised populations across the globe, including the transgender community in Punjab.
Despite the introduction of the Transgender Persons Protection Act in 2018, the degree of persecution endured by members of the transgender community has risen to an alarming level.
Allegedly, a significant number of intersex individuals across areas in Southern Punjab have increasingly been subjected to instances of targeted physical and sexual violence by traffickers who coerce them into dancing at affluent parties with the aim of enticing a deep-pocketed bidder.
Nigaheen, a 25-year-old trans woman from Gujranwala, was brutally tortured by her guru and his other disciples after her performance at a dance party in Sialkot. Even though Nigaheen did file a complaint against her assailants at the Saddar police station in Sialkot, the police have yet to arrest any of the accused.
“These guru mafias are operating all over South Punjab. They coerce transgender persons into dancing and prostitution and even sell them for bids as high as Rs 10,000,000 by sharing seductive videos of their dances with potential bidders through social networking applications like WhatsApp. In case a transgender person dares to refuse the guru’s orders, they are ruthlessly battered to the point where some even lose their lives,” disclosed Nigaheen.
According to Saba Gul, a transgender rights activist associated with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), almost 3,469 incidents of violence against transgender individuals have been registered during the past five years, with many ending in the death of the victim.
“I have been working tirelessly to free trafficked transgender persons from these mafias but the system is very complex. The victims are bought for a few thousand rupees by the guru who hastily sells them at double the price,” elaborated Gul.
Human rights activists are of the opinion that even though several integral legislative steps have been taken to curtail the ostracization faced by transgender persons in the country, the reality is that many still are denied even their fundamental human rights.
“As per Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan there shall be no discrimination on the basis of gender against any citizen. Furthermore, Section 5 of the Transgender Persons Protection Act of 2018, prohibits the harassment of transgender citizens. Unfortunately, the sad part is that despite the existence of these laws, transgender people continue to suffer multiple forms of oppression,” bewailed Izzat Fatima, a human rights activist and lawyer.
Speaking to The Express Tribune on the matter, Assistant Superintendent of the Lahore Police, Syeda Sheherbano Naqvi refuted the reports of transgender trafficking. “When transgender persons are not accepted by their families, they go to a guru, who holds the status of their parents. The guru announces to allocate an amount for a disciple when he puts a turban on his head but when that disciple leaves his guru and goes to another guru, then the other guru has to pay double the amount. As far as the incidents of violence against the transgender community are concerned, police protection centres have been set up for this, where transgender persons can contact 24 hours a day for help,” assured Naqvi.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2023.
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