In January this year, Sara a
transgender in Peshawar, was abducted, abused and murdered by unidentified men.
Unfortunately, most transgender in
Pakistan meet such tragic ends. Sadly the situation is even worse for those who
are alive, they
are denied all basic rights as a human being. Hospitals refuse to give them
medical care. In the above case the
tortured body of the deceased was refused admission in the morgue.
The society has always treated
transgender as lesser Humans. The
parents and families of transgender abandon them at birth. Leaving them at the mercy of beggars
and sex workers. Their fight for survival starts at birth and many struggles that follow throughout their non existent life. With the absence of any social status
in the law they have no hope for a
better future. Due to the lack of recognition as human beings and later having no options to earn their livelihood, many turn
to prostitution. The transgender group has many times raised their voice against this injustice, but were muted or ignored by many groups of our society.
where the transgender group went wrong
In order to find a unique identity for themselves the transgender group turned to loud makeup and provocative clothing to get some attention on the traffic lights of our busy cities. This has mostly back fired and has worked against them in many cases. The mannerism and hand gestures that has become a part of their identity has made them more of an outcast as many people cant look past that. If the group needs acceptance they need to change their stance as well.
The
new law
After struggling for years in 2018 Pakistan's parliament
had finally passed a law guaranteeing basic
rights for transgender citizens. The law
accords these citizens the right to self-identify as male, female or a blend of
both genders, and to have that identity registered on all official documents, including National Identification
Cards, passports, driver's licenses and education certificates. This was a welcoming change and a ray of hope for this group.
No more an Out-Cast
Since no official statistical data about the transgender community exists in the country, an immediate reform was not possible. Once the transgender are registered through the National Identity cards system the government will be in a better position to provide them with basic facilities.
Since no official statistical data about the transgender community exists in the country, an immediate reform was not possible. Once the transgender are registered through the National Identity cards system the government will be in a better position to provide them with basic facilities.
The
religious
groups are also coming together to enlighten transgender about divine
scriptures, and moral teachings. Exclusive lectures are organized under the
banner of a religious NGO called Youth
Club for the transgender. Raja Zia the founding member of the Youth
club is hopeful that through continuous efforts a mark change will happen in
this community.
A 21-year-old journalist is making headlines
in Pakistan by becoming the country's first transgender news anchor. Marvia Malik's first on-air appearance on March
23 2018, had many lauding the move as progress for transgender rights in
Pakistan.
Aisha Mughal is Pakistan's
first ever Transgender who has been appointed to teach at Quaid-e-Azam University
(Islamabad)
A ray of hope
With the new law the
transgender community has finally gotten a ray of hope to live their lives with
dignity in this country. To treat transgender as humans is a fresh start for
them but they also have to change their stance along with their appearance and mannerism if they wish to be a part of the society.
Comments
Post a Comment