The ‘transgender’ or ‘third gender’, known as Khwaja sra in Urdu and Khusra in Punjabi, are the people who are neither categorised as men nor women. They live in a pitiable situation in Pakistan. In the patriarchal society of Pakistan where the males dominate the whole system and where females are deprived of many rights, the condition of transgenders is far worse. Even though the Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken notice of this issue and now the application forms for NICs contain a third option of Khawaja sra along with male and female, these people are not given equal rights of citizenship.
Our society is desensitised towards the issue of the third gender. They are branded as disgraceful and deemed as toys for just dancing and seeking sexual pleasure. There exists an enormous intolerance towards these people and are discriminated against in issues like inheritance etc.
As these people are despised by society and do not get opportunities to come up with a healthy lifestyle, these people are compelled to earn their living through humiliating acts like dancing at parties and weddings, and often become victims of sexual abuse.
Therefore, the government should take positive steps for the betterment of the third gender and develop public awareness campaigns in order to deal with this issue. Training institutes should also be opened so that the abilities of these people can be properly utilised.
WAQAS MALOOK
Lahore
O MY GOD…
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