by Irtiza Rafiq / Zeenish Imroz
Srinagar
As for the first time space was created in the budget by the Finance Minister, Dr. Haseeb Drabu for the transgender community identifying them as a separate category and making them eligible for the BPL benefits, the larger question that looms is how this space is going to fit into the system?
KL Image By Irtiza, Zeenish Imroz
Discussing the same, an interactive workshop on transgender rights was held on Saturday, at Hotel Solar Residency, Rajbagh by Sonzal Welfare Trust. The workshop was attended by around thirty people from the transgender community.
The panel was shared by a lawyer, Sabreen Malik, Chairperson of Muslim Personal Law Board, Shareef ul Naqvi, Founder and Chairperson of the trust, Aijaz Ahmad, and Babloo, Shabnam and Reshma representing the transgender community.
Hosting the event, Enus Shafi, Vice President of the trust said that after being ostracized by the mainstream people for times immemorial, the transgender community has finally got some relief by getting a separate status but it may solve just a fraction of their problems. However, to reap the benefits of the third gender category, the prerequisite is that they get new aadhar and election cards that recognize them as a third gender for which we are filling out their forms.
Stating that their life is only miseries, Babloo, a transgender from Dalgate said that their struggles can never be enlisted. “Ranging from teasing, mocking, disowning, forcing into isolation, to tolerating abuses, we see it all on a daily basis and we can’t even complain. Now even the only work that we have been doing for ages has been affected badly by the changing times. What the government has done is a welcome move but that cannot be it.
There are a set of right that are denied to us and we demand only them starting with the right to life with dignity, honor, and equality,” he said.
Talking about the legal position of the transgender person, Sabreen Malik, lawyer, founder, and chairperson of Kashmir Women Collective Trust said that the only right that the third gender community have are the fundamental rights but the legislative rights are denied to them altogether. This arrangement leaves the third gender with only the option to complain their legal issues directly to the High Court and Supreme Court and not to the Police Station which in itself is a hectic procedure for this invisible community.
Aijaz Ahmed said while concluding the event said that with the proposal at the assembly, the fight has just started and he and his trust will leave no stone unturned to help these helpless people.
