Few days ago, I met Ashi, a transgender. She has been working for the rights of her community. While discussing her issues,she said,’’we are facing many problems that need immediate solution’’.
She discussed many issues that her community has been facing.
Why are transgender rights important to be addressed immediately?
Dr. Randi Kaufman, a New York-based Psychologist said that the high rates of suicide attempts and self-harm often stem from being rejected or not being supported. Moreover, lives of transgender people are marked with poverty, harassment and other intolerable issues in a society.
According to Pakistan’s census in 2017, that recorded the country’s transgender population for the first time and estimated over 10,000 population of transgender people in Pakistan that is 0.005 percent of total population of the country.
Some of the specific issues transgender people facing are:
Poverty
Though, this is the general issue of the country, but the transgender face it harshly as their physical capacity and lack of human capital,they are unable to live hand to mouth and ultimately they choose bagging.
Harassment and stigma
The community still faces considerable stigma based on over a century of being characterized as mentally ill, socially deviant and sexually predatory. Transvestite people still met with ridicule from a society that does not acknowledge them.
Inaccessible healthcare
Data collection on health disparities among transgender people is very limited, but the data we do have reveal a healthcare system that is not meeting the needs of the transgender community.
Recent passage of the Transgender Persons Bill 2017
The recent achievement of the community in the form of the passage of the ‘Transgender Persons Bill 2017’ has brought a ray of hope to the community. This bill is aimed at reducing many basic issues of the community. Moreover, it has mentioned that the transgender will be allowed to obtain driving license, harassment of the transgenders will be prohibited, safe houses will be built by the government for the transgender people and provision of loans to start small businesses are among the other issues to be addressed through implementation of the bill.
Recently, media in Pakistan has also welcomed its first transgender news anchor to the screens Marvia Malik, 21-year-old journalist. She encouraged the fellow members of her community that they are capable of doing any job, and can do anything they want.
Project like the Gender Guardian School are working in the field of education to give equal rights to every transgender child. But , these are functioning on a small scale. It needs collective efforts to recognize and help the community resolve their genuine issues and to ensure the protection of the community.
What can someone do to resolve issues faced by the transgenders?
Acknowledge the privilege of acceptance and security, we have immense power to make the lives of transgender people better.
Undoubtedly, respecting the transgender people will resolve the multifaceted problems of the community.