The End of Discrimination

By Drousham Balouch

Human beings are discriminated in many different categories on gender basis like mother and father, son and daughter, uncle and aunt, niece and nephew, husband and wife but when it comes about a transgender-the third gender then it all ends up with a question tag.

And my question is why?

According to the census 2018, transgender population in Pakistan exceeds 10,000 but unfortunately their existence is still not accepted. As Male and Female, Khwaja Sira is also a gender which needs our prime concern and attention.

Sadly, when transgender are born, the parents shunned them or consign them to the GURU’s who manipulate their human dignity by training them the art of begging and by disposing them as prostitutes.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2017 gives them right to recognition of identity, the right of fair treatment in educational institutions and employment, fair  treatment in healthcare services, the provision of accommodation, privilege  to the use of facilities provided to general public, fair treatment with regard to right to travel, and use of public facilities of transportation, the right to reside, sale/purchase, rent, inherit any movable and immovable property, the right to hold public or private office, and the right to vote.

But still Khwaja Siras are facing discrimination in all the above mentioned areas.

In our society the existence of a drug addict is acceptable, the existence of a rapist is acceptable but we can’t accept the existence of transgender community.

People don’t even consider them humans, and mock when they see one around. Don’t they deserve respect? Don’t they deserve a life with LOVE and FAMILY? Are they only supposed to dance and beg? Why we have made such a huge population deprived so much of their basic human rights?  What’s the least we can do?