In Pakistan, every citizen faces a plethora of dilemmas and the third gender, mainly the transgenders too are treated as if they are sub-humans. Although the government has classified transgender people as belonging to the “third gender.”And one questions for issuing ID cards to them.
While a number of Asian countries have adopted laws to protect the rights of these individuals, Pakistan lags well behind in this regard. Human right activists report how they are bullied at school, barred from getting jobs and accessing basic services such as healthcare, and are subjected to harassment and verbal abuse. They also fear for their safety. Oftentimes, their own family abandons them. While many of them are involved in extorting money from people on the streets, it’s because their opportunity to lead a normal life is extremely restricted. It needs to elevate the community to the mainstream of society by adopting more affirmative actions and launching campaigns to change social attitudes towards them.
ZEESHAN NASIR,
Kech, October 26.