KARACHI, April 01: Sindh government has assured the transgender community that it will not be a victim of any expediency regarding the rights, protection, welfare and employment of the transgender people.
Sindh Human Rights Department in collaboration with an organization working for transgender rights, Sabrang Society, organized an awareness seminar on the occasion of Transgender Day of Visibility, in which Special Assistant to Chief Minister Sindh for Human Rights Surendar Valasai, Iqbal Detho (Chairman, Sindh Human Rights Commission), Kami Sid (Head of Sub-Ring Society), Nuzahat Shireen (Chairperson, Sindh Commission on the Status of Women), Mehnaz Rehman (Aurat Foundation) , Hina Gulji, Nisha Rao and others addressed the event.
Surendar Valasai, the Special Assistant to Chief Minister Sindh for Human Rights, said that the Sindh government has taken revolutionary steps for the rights, protection and welfare of the transgender community. He said that Sindh is the only province in the country, where the transgender community has been represented in local bodies, adding that in Sindh, quota has been allocated in government jobs for the transgender community to stand on their own feet economically. “Making the transgender community a part of the social safety net in the form of Beneezir Income Support Program (BISP) is also a distinction of the Pakistan People’s Party,” he added.
Vaalasai said that Transgender Welfare Centers will be established at the divisional level by Human Rights Department, and all the administrative affairs of which will be run by transgender people. “No one can deny the fact that only PPP takes practical steps to empower the marginalized segments of the society,” he added.
Iqbal Detho, the chairman Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), said that SHRC is determined to work under a comprehensive strategy to prevent discrimination and injustices against the transgender community. He emphasized that there is no doubt that the problems and challenges faced by the transgender community are many, but the transgender community has to approach the government institutions to solve them.
Nuzhat Shirin said that the conditions of the transgender community have changed compared to the past, adding that on the one hand, the number of transgender community organizations has increased, on the other hand, the society is also changing. She stressed that there is a need to take special measures at the government level for the education, health and employment of the transgender community.
Jameel Hussain Junejo (Executive Coordinator, the Treaty Implementation Cell of the Human Rights Department Sindh), Dr. Rakesh Motiani, Hina Gulji and others were also present on this occasion.
