The transgender community is unfortunately considered with very little respect and recent events have proven that Pakistan is failing to secure the basic rights of this group of people. The transgender people are harassed in every field of life and other people, due to their typical mindsets, consider them shameful and a disgrace to their society.
We lack proper laws to secure their rights. Often, they’re not even allowed to sit or talk with other humans. They are forced to live away from “normal” communities of people. Even educated people abuse them and consider them undeserving of respect. They are mistreated in markets, organisations and every private or government institutions. They are not enrolled in educational institutions as many of our esteemed and well off families think that they don’t need to be educated because they are only a dark spot for the society and that they can’t contribute to the welfare of the society. Even the ones who get educated by any means are not given any jobs. The only option left for them to earn their livelihood is by dancing in local and private parties or prostitution.
Unfortunately, our government has failed to provide legal rights to the transgender community due to which they have not been given the respect they deserve as human beings and as members of society. They should be given equal rights, as are other men and women in Pakistan by law. There should be proper quota for their jobs in every private and government sector organization, to encourage them and in order to secure their future. They also have the right to ambitions. They can be future doctors, engineers, scientists, or artists – if only our government pays a little attention towards them. They can live a respectful and prosperous life if we all cooperate and encourage them by considering them our equals.
Saba Mumtaz
Rawalpindi