HYDERABAD: Trans-gender persons staged ‘Sindh Moorat March’ on Sunday, raising demands for counting their community realistically in census and granting them equal opportunities in education, employment and health.

The march started from Rani Bagh, where the transgenders who had come from different towns and cities of the province, danced to different songs on a stage, and culminated at Shahbaz Building roundabout.

Bindiya Rani, leader of the community, said at the programme, which was part of the day’s activities, that their population did not reflect realistically in census only to deny them their rights.

She said that her community was not raising a novel demand or things that could not be provided by the government and society to them.

They needed proper medical treatment in a separate ward in government hospitals, she said.

Sardaran, a transgender from Sukkur, said that transgenders were murdered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sadly crimes against them had become a matter of daily routine. The government was not ready to grant them their fundamental rights, she said.

Zehrish Khanzadi pointed out that like any other human being they also wanted to live a dignified life and said that some religious forces did not accept their existence and then the matter landed in court.

She said that transgender had gone into history as a symbol of resistance. For last three years, they were raising 12 key demands and so far only three had been accepted, she said.

Madiha Shah told the gathering that transgenders should be accepted by people as other members of society and if parents started accepting them then society would also own them.

Women Action Forum representative Dr Arfana Mallah said that Moorat march after ‘Aurat March’ was a big achievement.

As long as rights of these segments were not accepted their struggle would remain incomplete, she said and regretted that describing transgenders as beggars was tantamount to denying them their identity.

Dr Saima Jafri said that both these segments should become part of unified struggle and expressed concern over incidents of gender disparity and discrimination in higher educational institutions.

Aliya Bukhshal said that “moorat” was completely independent and it was society that defined identity based on gender. Transgenders were excommunicated by their families during their childhood which was a violation of basic human rights, she claimed.

Shahzadi Rai said that the government should respect their constitutional rights. Heavens would not fall if their demands had been accepted, she said.

The participants demanded that transgenders faced hurdles in obtaining NICs. They demanded equal opportunities of education, employment and health.

Their correct population number should be counted in the census and these should be an end to discrimination against them.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2024