ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Transgender Empowerment Association on Friday launched an initiative Voice of Social Change and Equity, with the objective to spread awareness and raise voice for the transgender community rights and issues at national level. According to a press release issued by World Health Organisation (WHO), transgender individual in Pakistan faces multilayer social and legal discrimination. However, the concept is being changed now. WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Assai Ardakani, while speaking on the occasion said, “I am very happy to be a part of launching ceremony for the Transgender Network in Pakistan and I congratulate all of you, in this endeavour and hope it will bring prosperity to the life of transgender community in Pakistan.” He expressed that it was a great opportunity for the empowerment of transgender community in Pakistan. He said the community must advocate for universal access to health, social services, education, employment, rule of law and accountability mechanisms and the people should understand that transgender are part of this community. The representatives of the transgender community briefed about the future plans of the network. Bubbli and Aisha said that the transgender individual in Pakistan faces multilayer social and legal discrimination. “It is an honour of Wajood Organisation to launch “Pakistan Transgender Empowerment Association: Voice of Social Change and Equity,” with the objective to spread awareness and raise voice for transgender community rights and issues at national level. Violence, poverty, human rights violations, socioeconomic inequality, lack of education, insufficient legal services, deficit law enforcement institution are some of the significant barriers faced by transgender community in every day,” they said. National Aids Control Program (NACP) Programme Manager Dr Baseer Achakzai said according to the latest IBBS survey, estimated population of transgender in Pakistan was almost 36,000 in 23 cities, most of them being in Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. Transgender people are one of the groups most affected by the HIV epidemic and are 49 times more likely to be living with HIV than the general population. The term transgender refers to people whose gender identity and expression are different to social expectations of their biological sex at birth. They may see themselves as male, female, gender non-conformist, or one of a spectrum other genders. Transgender people have diverse sexual orientation and behaviours. Published in Daily Times, November 25th 2017.