Abstract:

Pakistan is the second largest Islamic state in the world. Islam has given
equal rights to everyone. Through electronic and print media, we found
that being an Islamic state; still transgender are neglected by the
government and the local society.

There are many NGO's working for human rights, but sadly they have
ignored the transgender. It has been noticed, that in Pakistan the
transgender are ignored in every walk of life including, education,
government jobs, health care and even security for their life.

. In 2013, Supreme Court of Pakistan has given rights to transgender

which still are not implemented in the community. Not only the society,
but their families are not accepting them as their family members.

The objectives of this presentation are to review and highlight various

aspects of brutality and the issues faced by the transgender community in
Pakistan.
 What is meant to be a
Transgender?
• The transgender community is incredibly diverse. Some transgender
people identify as male or female. Some choose to openly identify as
transgender, while others simply identify as men or women.

• Transgender" is an umbrella term that describes people whose

gender identity or expression does not match the sex they were
assigned at birth. For example, a transgender person may identify
as a woman despite having been born with male genitalia.

What challenges do transgender

people face?
While the visibility of transgender people is increasing in popular culture
and daily life, we still face severe discrimination, stigma and systemic
inequality. Some of the specific issues facing the transgender community
are:

 Lack of legal protection– While the federal government's

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the
Department of Education have recently taken steps to include
transgender people under existing non-discrimination protections,
there is still no comprehensive non-discrimination law that includes
gender identity. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2014 State
Equality Index, only 18 states and the District of Columbia prohibit
employment and housing discrimination based on gender identity; only
17 states and the District of Columbia prohibit discrimination based on
gender identity in public accommodations; and only 15 states and the
District of Columbia prohibit discrimination based on gender identity in
education. Moreover, state legislatures across the country are debating
– and in some cases passing – legislation specifically designed to
prohibit transgender people from accessing public bathrooms that
 correspond with our gender identity, or creating exemptions based on
religious beliefs that would allow discrimination against LGBTQ
people.

 Poverty– In too many cases, this lack of legal protection translates

into unemployment for transgender people. The National Transgender
Discrimination Survey (NTDS) found that 15 percent of respondents
were living in severe poverty (making less than $10,000/year). For
transgender people of color, those rates were even higher, with 34
percent of Black and 28 percent of Latina/o respondents reporting a
household income of less than $10,000 a year. As anyone who has
experienced poverty or unemployment understands, being unable to
afford basic living necessities can result in homelessness or lead people
to engage in underground economies like drug sales or survival sex
work, which can put people at increased risk for violence and arrest.

 Harassment and stigma– The LGBTQ community still faces

considerable stigma based on over a century of being characterized as
mentally ill, socially deviant and sexually predatory. While these flawed
views have faded in recent years for lesbians and gay men, transgender
people are still often met with ridicule from a society that does not
understand us. This stigma plays out in a variety of contexts – leaving
us vulnerable to lawmakers who attempt to leverage anti-transgender
stigma to score cheap political points; to family, friends or coworkers
who reject transgender people upon learning about our transgender
identities; and to people who harass, bully and commit serious violence
against transgender people.

 Anti-transgender violence– At least 13 transgender women

were murdered in 2014, and 2015 is on track to see even higher
numbers. These women were stabbed, shot, strangled, and burned;
killed violently by intimate partners or strangers. According to the
2013 National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP) report on
hate violence against lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and HIV-
affected (LGBTQH) communities, 72 percent of the victims of LGBTQ or
HIV-motivated hate violence homicides in 2013 were transgender
women, and 67 percent were transgender women of color. Transgender
 people have few options for protecting ourselves from violence or
seeking justice. The NTDS found that 22 percent of transgender people
who had interacted with police experienced bias-based harassment
from police, with transgender people of color reporting much higher
rates. Six percent reported physical assault; 2 percent reported sexual
assault by police; and 20 percent reported having been denied equal
service by law enforcement. Nearly half of the transgender people
surveyed in the study said that they were uncomfortable turning to
police for help.

 Barriers to healthcare– Data collection on health disparities

among transgender people is very limited, but the data we do have
reveal a healthcare system that is not meeting the needs of the
transgender community. In a 2012 needs assessment by the
Washington D.C. Trans Coalition, 44 percent of those who identified
health as one of their top priorities said that access to transgender-
sensitive healthcare was their most significant need. Beyond facing
barriers to obtaining medically-necessary health services and
encountering medical professionals who lacked transgender health care
competency, the NTDS found that almost 20 percent of respondents had
been refused medical care outright because of bias.

 Identity Documents – The widespread lack of accurate

identity documents among transgender people can have an impact on
every area of their lives, including access to emergency housing or other
public services. To be clear, without identification, one cannot travel,
register for school or access many services that are essential to function
in society. Many states require evidence of medical transition – which
can be prohibitively expensive and is not something that all transgender
people want – as well as fees for processing new identity documents,
which may make them unaffordable for some members of the
transgender community. The NTDS found that among those
respondents who have already transitioned, 33 percent had not been
able to update any of their identity documents to match their affirmed
gender.

While advocates continue working to remedy these disparities, change

cannot come too soon for transgender people. Visibility – especially
positive images of transgender people in the media and society –
continues to make a critical difference for us; but visibility is not enough
and comes with real risks to our safety, especially for those of us who are
part of other marginalized communities. That is why the Human Rights
Campaign is committed to continuing to support and advocate for the
transgender community, so that the transgender Americans who are and
will become your friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members have
an equal chance to succeed and thrive.

WHO AM I??? This Question was asked me

so many times by so called ‘HUMANS’ all
around the world. This question strikes me
why I am like this??

Who am I? My identity is not confirmed yet.

Who left these questions behind ‘ARE WE

HUMANS? DO WE BELONG TO THIS
COUNTRY OR WORLD? DO WE HAVE ANY
‘RIGHT TO LIVE’ IN THIS WORLD???

Violation of Trans gender’s

Rights:
In January this year, Shama — an 18-year-old transgender woman —
was abducted and brutally raped by nine men in Peshawar. Two months
later, Marvia Malik made her debut as Pakistan’s first transgender
broadcast journal
And two days later, Pakistan’s National Assembly passed the historic
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act.

Marvia Malik:

Early life:
Malik was born in Lahore in 1997 to a family of three siblings.[4] As a
child, she was bullied by her classmates in school but she managed to
complete her matriculation. She became estranged from her family later
in life.[5] After leaving home, she took refuge with other trans
women.[6] She was determined to become a lawyer or a journalist her
whole life.[7]

Professional life and activism:

She worked as a makeup artist in order to fund her higher studies, before
pursuing a career in mass media, graduating with a degree in the latter
from Punjab University.[5]
She then applied for a position at Kohenoor News.[8] Regarding the
breakthrough with her becoming a news anchor, Marvia has stated that,
"Our society treats transgender people shamefully, degrading them,
denying those jobs, laughing at them and taunting them. I want to change
that."[6]
She has previously modelled as well.[9] She has walked the runway for the
Pakistan Fashion Design Council fashion week in Lahore, a job she got
through students at the Lahore Grammar School.[5]
In March 2018, Malik became the first openly transgender person to fill
the role of newsreader on a Pakistani news broadcast.[8] This occurrence
attracted media attention.[1][2][3] She is working with Kohenoor News
"Azad Bhi Zimydar Bhi" the news channel helped her to groom in the field
of journalism.
She is planning to advocate property rights for Trans persons in
Pakistan.[7] She is also demanding reservation for Trans persons in
employment and in Parliament.[10] She does not believe in the term "third
gender".[4]
Rights of Transgender according
to National Assembly of Pakistan:
The Act is commendable for its nuance, range and clarity. It allows the
citizens of Pakistan to self-identify their gender, bans discrimination in
public places like schools, work, public transportation and doctor’s offices.
Transgender people can apply for a driving license, passport and other
official documents using their chosen identities.
Heavy penalties are delineated for assault, unlawful eviction and
harassment.
This year’s World Human Rights Day is a special one for transgender
activists in Pakistan: for the first time, a third space has been created for
them.
Bank accounts are being opened using forms with a space for a third
gender. Under new government policy, transgender people can avail
interest-free loans.
Jobs may soon roll out for the community, including the Supreme Court as
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar has promised.

Ignorance of Trans genders:

But at the same time, there have been cases of transgender women who
have been set on fire for allegedly refusing sexual favors.
They are being attacked in their own homes, stabbed when they stand
up for themselves. Pakistan documented its transgender population for
the first time in the 2017 census. It has estimated their number to be over
10,000. As per these counts, Trans genders cover 0.005 percent of the
total population. In spite of this, they face many problems.

Dr. Randi Kaufman, a New York-based Psychologist, has said ‘the high
rates of suicide attempts and self-harm often stem from being rejected or
not being supported. Moreover, the lives of transgender people are
marked with poverty, harassment, and other issues.

The status of transgender in Pakistan is very low. They are deprived of

their guarded rights. People use embarrassing language and refer to them
as hijra’ — a word equated with coward. Why do we refute the fact that
transgender people were the personal guards of most of the Mughal
Emperors?

In Pakistan, the rights of Trans genders are severely violated as they are
not given due respect in society. Many Trans genders fall victim to sexual
harassment.

Neither do the higher authorities take action for them, nor can they
highlight their own issues. Recently, a school was opened by an NGO for
Trans children to give them their educational rights, but they are working
on a very small scale.

Trans people usually face discrimination while searching for a job and are
compelled to beg, dance or work as prostitutes in order to earn money

. Trans genders are also deprived of the right to healthcare.

In June 2016, Alisha a 23-year-old transgender activist died as a result of

not receiving medical treatment on time. The hospital staff was unable to
decide whether to admit her in the male or female ward and let her die in
the hospital.
Empowerment for Trans genders:
Recently for the first time in history, a Pakistani news channel hired a
transgender as a newsreader. This anchor, named Marvia Malik,
graduated in journalism and told the BBC she was moved to tears when
she was offered the job. She said she hoped her work would help improve
the lives of Pakistan’s transgender community.

Furthermore, in the last month, former Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib

Nisar announced that he would provide jobs to two Trans genders in the
Supreme Court of Pakistan.

For the very first time, Pakistan’s Supreme Court will hire two Trans
genders to give them their rights in the Muslim-majority country.

Efforts must be made collectively to recognize the issues faced by the

Trans community, and help them overcome those issues. Pakistan must
work on a broader scale to preserve their identity.

Laws and policies must be implemented to ensure their basic rights so

that they may live free, respectable lives. Certainly, valuing the
transgender people will sort out these multifaceted problems.

What should we do as a society

for Trans genders:
#1 Take a Trans Person to Lunch
#2: Deal positively with trans people
#3: Attend an anti-racism training and put into practice what you learn
#4 : Plan an Art Show of Works by Trans Artists
#5: Start an online community or a blog that deals with an issue that is
important to you
#6: Change the Policy of an Organization You Belong To
#7: Donate money to an organization providing direct services for
transgender people
#8: Hold a workshop on how to effectively advocate for yourself when
seeking medical care or therapy
#9: Ask Your Local Film Festival to Show Trans Themed Movies and then
Go See Them
#10: Support the Day of Silence
#11: Preach or speak at a local community of faith, church or mosque
#12: Hold a Trans Pride event in your community
#13 Educate a local homeless shelter
#14: Pass a non-discrimination ordinance in your community
#15: Break a Gender Rule
#16 : Make a Restroom More Accessible to Trans People
#17: Locate Support Services
#18: Collaborate with another group on a community project or social
event.
#19: Work to Pass a Nondiscrimination Policy at Your Workplace
#20 Write a regular column for a publication
#21: Register New Voters!
#22: Fund Scholarships!
#23: Programs for Youth
#24 Know your rights if you are stopped by the police.
#25 Make Jails Safer for Trans People
#26 Hold a Job Fair
#27 Engage Media Coverage of Transgender Issues
#28 Conduct a Community Needs Assessment
#29 Vote!
#30 Start a discussion group on gender related books

#31 Collect and share stories of discrimination.

#32 set up a training in a hospital, nursing or medical school
#33 Help an LGBT organization become more transgender friendly
#34 Make a New Year's Resolution for Transgender Equality