Peshawar - Transgender community have got a first-of-its-kind centre for handmade jewellery in the provincial capital where they make and sell various products.

Baitul Hissan Centre, set up by a social activist Zari Baji, imparts a two-month training course to the transgender persons to produce various products of handmade jewellery.

“I have seen that they dance in parties but they are disrespected and harassed in most events. If they get successful in such jobs, they will quit dancing,” Zari told The Nation.

She said she herself trains them and so far 30 members of the transgender community have been trained at her centre.

She said they also arranged the KP’s first-ever exhibition of the trangenders recently, wherein their handmade products were showcased.  

“While the coronavirus pandemic adversely affected all segments of the society, the trans community suffered much. This is why I thought of this centre, for which an NGO Simurg & HIVE provided funds. I am particularly thankful to Mohsin from the NGO for his support for this cause,” Zari added.

Meena Shams, a trans hailing from Afghanistan and now living in Peshawar, said that she spent two months learning how to make jewellery items like earrings, necklaces, bindis, etc. 

“Dancing can earn us more money, but there are problems involved. Many people tease and harass us while we dance. But this job of making and selling handmade jewellery earns us a more respectable living,” Meena added.

Several students were seen visiting the stalls of various products. A student, Radia Shafi, a student of the University of Peshawar, said that they were visiting the centre with the aim of promoting and encouraging the work.

“Transgender persons should be encouraged in this job, which shows their creativity and also helps them to earn their livelihood respectably,” she added.