Living a double life
Karachi, the city of lights is known to accommodate everyone regardless of their caste, colour or creed. It camouflages all that is not appealing to the eye and shelters many that seek refuge in its arms. From the hubbub of the day to the mysterious calm of the night, the city truly never sleeps and neither do its residents.
The day and night life in the city is in stark contrast to each other, with day being the centre of business activity and night a witness to social crimes and taboos that are hushed-up for the supposed benefit of the society.
During such a night I met Rahat*, a transvestite, who stands outside one of the most famous automobile showrooms at Clifton and waits for his client everyday. Dressed and dolled up like a woman, it is difficult to assess his real self on the surface. However, the story of his life and struggle is an open question mark to our double standards and so-called ethical norms.
“I am an educated man and I was not born this way. I worked as a salesman for three years but then I was sacked. I looked for a job for 10 months and then I met a group of people who offered me to work as a transvestite. Initially, I was appalled at the offer; however, with several mouths to feed at home my options were limited,” said Rahat.
“I am a man and during the day I stay that way but as soon as the sun sets, I disguise myself as a transvestite and wait for scavengers to feed on me so that I can feed my family. I can transform myself into a gigolo, dancer, prostitute and many other things which are considered ‘unacceptable’ by the same set of people in the society who ironically happen to be my clients,” added Rahat.
Infuriated by the hypocrisy of our society and saddened by the depth of his words, I kept fumbling with questions; is it indeed people like us who have played a vital role in leading the Rahats of Pakistan to live such ignoble lives? Are they themselves responsible in opting for the easy way out? Is our system the main culprit?
On being asked if he has accepted this way of life, Rahat responded with tears glistening in his eyes, “To be honest no one can accept this life. It is horrible. One dies a little every day but one has to sacrifice for their families. I would rather sell my body than have my sisters go out and do the same.”
Not very far away from Clifton is Khadda Market where I met another transvestite, who poses to be one, however, is not into prostitution and only begs for food and money.
“The obvious question is why become an impostor than to work legitimately as a domestic servant or labourer? The answer is that the wage one gets after working all day long does not suffice to educate and feed four children,” he said on condition of anonymity.
The fact that many transvestites that we see on the streets are impostors is a scary thought; however, it also leads me to believe that there must be a multiple reasons why this profession is ‘booming’. Poverty and lack of sustainable livelihood can evidently be attributed to the thriving practice. Lack of governance and inability of the government to cater to the massive population boom by formulating policies along the lines of a welfare state also seem to play an important role. However, the psychological needs and human frustrations also account for the existence of this trade.
Almas Bobby, President of she-male Foundation Pakistan said, “If you ask me I am going to say that these men who pretend to be eunuchs tarnish our image the most. Most of them are sexually frustrated hence get into prostitution, whereas many amongst them are involved in crimes. They get picked up by seths and later on rob them. The police knows everything; they are bribed to let such charlatans operate. It’s a criminal business which needs to be stopped. Some of them have gone as far as obtaining National Identity Cards as eunuchs because there is no check and balance to asses who is genuine and who is not.”
“The police only troubles genuine eunuchs because they cannot afford to keep them entertained and happy,” said Bobby.
Talking to so many eunuchs and men, who portrayed themselves as one, also reaffirmed my hypothesis that we all possess ill-will for each other. One eunuch blaming another for their tarnished image and the other blaming the entire human race for the evils existing in the society only boils down to the fact that we all look for scapegoats. People in authoritative positions showed no concern about saving these young minds and bodies from exploitation either. Instead of rectifying our own mistakes and channeling our energies in creating a better society, we all choose the easy way out by blaming it all onto an individual, a group, the system, lack of opportunities and the government.
Whether the men in question are a part of a bigger crime syndicate or they get into this trade to make easy money, I refuse to believe that all of them get into this business out of their own freewill. It is impossible to believe that someone in their right mind would opt for a profession which does not only turn them into social pariahs but also jeopardises their well being. Economic and socio-cultural pressures motivate naïve boys to adopt a way of life which is tabooed in many societies. Most of the boys start off during their teen years, which speaks volumes about their irrational decision powers to choose a mode of life from which there is simply no turning back.
Instead of blaming them, how about for once, we ask ourselves whether we play a positive role in reforming the pillars of our society and look for ways in which we can positively contribute towards the welfare of human rights in the country. Unfortunately, what most of us fail to understand is that nothing can supersede the protection of human rights Societal and cultural values take a backseat when human rights are violated so blatantly. Whether one approves of such practices or not is a debatable point, however, the issue that these young minds and bodies are to be protected is crystal clear.
Every individual in his/her own capacity should take measures to respect human rights. Law enforcement agencies, common citizens, political groups and human rights agencies should unanimously work towards in understanding the problem and counseling these individuals who had no one to consult. The mafia which operates behind seducing young boys to ‘act’ as transvestites for their own vested interest should be brought to justice.
Unless we all take individual steps to overcome these issues, the status quo will not change and neither will our future.
*Name changed to protect identity.
The writer is a Reporter at Dawn.com
Western world also has eunuchs but you do not even notice them. This needs to studied for implementation.
i am so sad from to lesson this story because this is pakistan which mean peace from every dangerous things ,,,, this is way to join and support his family , if any body not poor then this can not happen as same of rahat ,,,,, we learned from these things , their will be no body in his scocity which protect from these and support it ,,, every one now thinking about his own self every one don't care ….. i
You can have anything you want in Life, but no one is going to give it too you.
that is the most sadened sentence i ever heard and so bad luck because of our system plus our duplicity
"I would rather sell my body than have my sisters go out and do the same"
So true, I am not sure if one can commend this statement or deplore it. Let me know how many people agree to this!
And Raheel – well caught!
I commend the write for bringing such a difficult and often ignored issue to public arena. The more bold writers bring such issues to the fore, the better it is for us as a society. Sweeping such issues under the carpet is not the way to deal with such things. Sadly the one group of people who can help in these matters is our religious scholars. I know a big ask, but we can hope at least.
Karachi is the place where everything is swept under the carpet.
making poverty an excuse for evils like dis is bad……..we have even poorer people who wud rather go for begging sadqa khairat but wud never get involved in such things which invite the wrath of ALLAH PAK!!!!!!!!
A concocted story to further sully the image of Pakistan. If a person is educated and worked for 3 years as a salesman, how can you expect that he will not get a job in a metropolis of Pakistan??? this is so murky dear writer and even if he did not get any job concomitant to his studies he could have done something other than doing a job i-e some sort of small business etc. Anyhow if he chose Prostitution over any noble job/ business, it is his weak moral fiber.
we all responsible for this situation in society not only institutions. Islam gives a complete code of life no NGO can do the work that a Muslim society can where every person will be asked for his neighborhood. Allah bless us
Cent percent Agreed! A nice composed written blog! Indeed this is the bitter reality of our society. As the blogger mentioned, there are multiple reasons behind this social evil, and those reasons need to be addressed by our Government!
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;
the point is to discover them."
— Galileo Galilei
+
So far the Pakistan government has not unearthed many truths.
I feel sorry to say that ,, Such articles will not bring any change … PEOPLE who are reading this article will only use this column in their socializing .
The Reason of such apathy for the society is : their is Inflation all around , But the owners of the businesses do not want to bear this over themselves , in spite they forward this burden over their employees , by either firing them or keeping their employees due bonus and salaries at stale . Though they relatively increase their business price in the name of inflation .
the Evidence is everyday we are seeing new cars on the roads and people of business are having more luxurious lives then before .
This article was all over the place and ended abruptly without a solution to the problems presented by the author. A lot of unsubstantiated claims in the essay make it a very poor piece of scholarly work and it's a surprise that a respected newspaper like Dawn would allow such material to be posted on its website.
All that people do is say " khuda hum par rehm karey" and move on. Setting up half-way homes, setting up child welfare homes, providing a secure environment to children where they can get at least a minimal vocational training" are things that can be achieved, that has been achieved. But by saying "khuda hum par rehm karey" and walking away, society as a whole shirks its responsibilities, and deserves what it gets.
" I can transform myself into a gigolo, dancer, prostitute and many other things which are considered ‘unacceptable’ by the same set of people in the society who ironically happen to be my clients,” added Rahat
This statement sums up everything wrong in Pakistan society!
Until their gender is fully recognized and accepted socially, their problems will never be solved. The problem is as old as man's history on the planet. You can't find a solution in Karachi alone. Besides, they are not happy with what they do, or have to do. Besides, it takes two to tango, as they say here in the USA. You can multiply their number many times each night to see how big the problem is!
I am looking this post as a positive step, addressing the hyprocracies of our society. The step towards solution is only possible once the problem is recognised. We need to talk on such topics we really try to avoid, by avoiding it, it shall still be there.
Sorry to say as a nation our character is degrading specially when liars like Gillani as head of state.
Sameer – Like every human being who feels sorry for these poor souls, I too can understand your pain towards them and as rightly said by you – We need to talk on such topics we really try to avoid, by avoiding it, it shall still be there. Very well said indeed.
But whats Gilani got to do with it yaar? I am NOT defending him BUT looks like we are barking at the wrong tree. if there has to be a change – it has to be us.
Hope you do not take this negatively!!!
its a v good .but how can we help u?but what can we do to save them ,,,without any harm..?????we salute to that person who did ths story or bring yhs issue….khuda hum par rehm karey….AAMEN………
Very well presented. Its not that we don't have systems, but problem is we have failed to ensure the implementation. And this is all because of representatives of each institution is, directly or indirectly, a culprit and his / her basic interest is to save him / hersef and ensure its own sustainability. Our society is lead by implied systems rather than expressed ones. Awaring the massess through such scripts will have an impact, though gradually, I must believe.
a very harsh reality of life specially in a country like Pakistan..it is in fact the waste of human capital, if he has got some resources to work with he would used his efforts in more efficient way…Poor Pakistanis have no other option than going for such things because of the underutilized resources.
everything is a waste in pakistan specially the way it is running….
Agreed. A genuine concern that needs our attention.
The first thing that can be done is to atleast recognise their gender. This problem is in both India and pakistan. there are only two choices, male or female.There should be schools and colleges made especially for the eunuchs .
Segregation is not the answer. People have to learn to accept that some people are different, not better or worse, just different but still human beings with emotions, feelings, hopes and aspirations.
Tolerance would be a beginning but we need to move beyond that and acceptance and equality should be the aim.
In India in some place they have forms which do recognise the 3rd gender, very few but still a begining
very good work writer. but what can we do to save them or change to them to positive way.
this is a big debate how to utilize the human capital. For the solution of such problems we need to find the ground realities behind it because of which people decide to go for such unethical things, and this is all because of poverty if government take notice of such things and introduce such projects where more of human capital is used, so that they efforts can be used and they will be able to earn their livelihood, such bad things can be then eradicated from our society.
Poverty is the greatest crime.
Sad! but good job to bring issues like that….
One of many topics we do not discuss in our society. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and sensitivity to talk about it.