Transgenders face many challenges in Pakistan, including harassment, violence, and even death. This article explores these issues and offers resources for those seeking information on how to support transgendered individuals.
The History Of Transgender Rights In Pakistan
Transgender rights in Pakistan began with the passage of the Gender Equality Act in 2009. However, transgender people still face discrimination and violence.
The fact is unchallenged how unequally transgenders are treated around in Pakistan. Let it be the educational purpose or the basic rights endless struggle. The parochial society of Pakistan is not ready to accept the Transgender world anytime soon.
There are several rules in Pakistan’s Constitution that protect the rights of transgender persons, but only a few of them are enforced. The stigma that is connected to the transgender population in Pakistan does them significant harm. They frequently endure physical and sexual abuse, and they are rarely treated with the respect they seek. Additionally, they are denied their fundamental rights, among which is the right to an education. Transgender education in Pakistan is critically condemned and is portrayed as an alien concept.
In the 2017 census, Pakistan recorded its transgender population for the first time. They are thought to number over 10,000. These estimates place the percentage of transgender people in the general population at 0.005%. Despite this, they still have a lot of issues.
It is disappointing to note that the high incidence of suicide attempts and self-harm attempts, according to Dr. Randi Kaufman’s research, psychologist, “frequently results from being rejected or not being supported by the society or the family itself.” Additionally, transgender people experience an inevitable loop of poverty, lack of educational facilities, continuous harassment, and other problems throughout their life at the diurnal level.
In Pakistan, People use derogatory terminology and refer to them as “hijra,” which is a term associated with cowardice.
Why are transgenders, being a complete identity in themselves, still deprived of basic human rights?
Why do we still repudiate the fact that transgenders deserve the same egalitarian treatment as other genders?
Transgender people’s rights are gravely abused in Pakistan because society does not treat them with the respect they deserve. Focusing on the crux of this article, the dearth of educational establishments for transgenders is an essential enigma that needs to be ended soon to assert proper human rights for transgenders.
Higher authorities neither intervene on their behalf nor are they able to draw attention to their own problems.
Today, many NGOs and institutions have given voice to the educational call for transgenders, including Blue Veins Organisation, Umeed Partnership, Gender Interactive Alliance and the list goes on. All of these have summoned the need for educational access to Transgenders and are struggling continuously to make a way for them, but they are only operating on a very small scale. And fruitful transgender education objectives in Pakistan will only be achieved if we, as a nation, work together in society to bring about change in the way we ogle transgenders.
Enabling the educational doors for transgenders will solve most of their dilemmas. Not only will it help them become independent; socially as well as financially, but also they will receive an immense amount of societal recognition. They will no longer have to work inhumane jobs in order to meet their ends, they will not have to second-think suicidal contemplations and above all, they will play their indispensable role in making the world a better place.
Idara-Taleem-o-Aagahi, a strong transgender education in Pakistan advocate, vitally asserts that all children between the ages of 5 and 16 should have access to free education, Every child has this fundamental right, regardless of their race, gender, or social standing. As a result, the transgender community cannot be denied its entitlement to the free, high-quality education that the government has committed to giving Pakistani children.
In addition to having their fundamental rights upheld, they will also be accorded the respect they deserve in society, where they are most stigmatized, by receiving free education and making the education system inclusive. To integrate transgender education in Pakistan and to provide an inclusive educational environment, specific changes must be done inside schools. This must be done to protect these transgenders from discrimination, which can result in isolation, high drop-out rates, and subpar academic performance.
To ensure that they do not experience prejudice or harassment when using public restrooms, these improvements include creating separate restrooms in schools for them. Teachers should monitor and guarantee that there are no instances of bullying by putting in place appropriate processes and rules. In order to teach the kids to be more courteous and understanding of this gender, teachers need to get trained and sensitive to their life. Many youngsters who are denied their fundamental right to an education due to being labeled as gender variance can gain equitable access to education by doing this.
Early gender sensitization in society must be mainstreamed through education to fully include the transgender group. By doing this, these kids will have a better chance of overcoming the severe socio-economic obstacles they currently face and competing on an even playing field with other kids.
This is the right time we take a step forward and abide by humanity to save gender from within our own society. Racism harms both our grassroots movement and every one of us personally. Transgender people come from a wide variety of ethnic, racial, socioeconomic, and religious origins. Our country and the transgender community are still being torn apart by racism. One way to make our activism stronger is to take a strong stance against anything that could split and undermine our community.
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