The Good Luck Thinkers (GTO) in collaboration with HR&MA department organized a seminar on rights of transgender community on Wednesday.
Punjab Minister for HR&MA Ijaz Alam Augustine attended the seminar as chief guest while representatives of Transgender community, officials of HR&MA, CEO GTO, academia and representatives of civil society also attended the seminar.
CEO GTO welcomed all participants and briefed the audience that the Good Thinkers Organization for Human Development striving for provision of justice and development opportunities to underserved people in Pakistan. Its mission was to forge good governance, protect basic rights and foster human development for the citizens of Pakistan particularly women, children, transgender persons and religious minorities.
“Passion for justice along with human development” and “enthusiasm to address societal issues” was the key driving force behind the establishment and functioning of this organisation.
The provincial minister in his address said that the Government of the Punjab was ensuring the protection of the community while the Punjab government in collaboration with the Human Rights and Minorities Department, would soon table a draft of the Transgender Rights Protection Act Punjab 2020.
Minister assured to boost this legislative process and to take special measures for the social protection of the transgender community in Punjab. Ijaz Alam Augustine further said that the community should nominate a focal person so that the human rights department can provide better protection while the human rights department is forming working groups from each community to protect human rights.
He said that the protection of rights of every community was top priority of the Punjab government as promoting peace, religious harmony and tolerance in the society while the government was taking all possible steps for a peaceful environment across the province.
Representatives of transgender community Zanaya Chaudhry and Neeli Rana also highlighted the issues facing the community across the province and protection against violence at community.
They also admired the initiatives of the current Government for the protection of community and hoped that representation of the community will be seen in each department in the tenure of PTI.
