Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a seminar here highlighted the importance of ensuring rights to transgender, who they argue have the potential to play a positive and constructive role in building any society.

The seminar titled “Transgender Can Play Key Role in Society, If Given Rights” was organized by Rawalpindi Women University (RWU) with an aim to promote role of transgender and create awareness among students about their rights.

Speaking on the occasion, Transgender Expert in Ministry of Human Rights, Reem Sharif, who is actively working for rights of her community informed the participants about the challenges faced by this particular community and their engagements in different segments of society.

Sharife informed the students about her hardships faced during student life and on part of her own family, however with determination and dedication she overcome these problems and has now been actively working for the rights of her gender.

Sharife informed the participants that after a long struggle when she joined the police department, her family and friends started to accept her, hence encouraged other community members to follow the suit to live a respectable life.

She particularly highlighted the laws that have been enacted by the government to protect rights of this community, however lamented that there still was a long way to go to change mentality of the masses towards transgender.

“Our state has done very good job for our community but still there are some people, who don’t accept us as normal human being,” Reem remarked.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Head of The Department of Mass Communication, Dr. Asma Zahoor while appreciating Reem’s confidence said that Rawalpindi Women University would welcome transgender students to get education in the institution.

She said, RWU would never feel offended to take transgender students, who definitely would be accepted from the core of heart and would be supported to get education or engage in other learning activities.

Among others, the seminar was attended by university students, faculty members and other staff.