The Pink Times
Aa
  • Home
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Europe
    • India
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Rights
    • Activism
    • Law
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Media
    • Health
  • Health
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Entertainment
    • Drag
    • Fashion
    • History
    • Love
    • People
    • Photography
    • Religion
  • Drag
  • Life
  • Money
  • Tech
  • Sports
  • People
Reading: Bangladesh disaster response neglects vulnerable trans community
Share
Aa
The Pink Times
Search
  • Home
  • World News
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • Europe
    • India
    • Middle East
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Rights
    • Activism
    • Law
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Media
    • Health
  • Health
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Entertainment
    • Drag
    • Fashion
    • History
    • Love
    • People
    • Photography
    • Religion
  • Drag
  • Life
  • Money
  • Tech
  • Sports
  • People
Follow US
The Pink Times > World News > Asia Pacific > Bangladesh disaster response neglects vulnerable trans community
Asia Pacific

Bangladesh disaster response neglects vulnerable trans community

The Pink Times
The Pink Times June 28, 2022
Updated 2022/06/28 at 12:57 PM
Share
Members of Sex worker stage a human chain in front of the national press club on Monday demanding their rights

DHAKA, June 28 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When an elderly relative passed away, Sanjibani Sudha, a 26-year-old banker, was not permitted by her family to attend the funeral because she is a transgender woman.

Contents
RECOGNITION STRUGGLEBEING COUNTED

Shimu Sheikh, 21, who was assigned female at birth but now identifies as a man, said that when seeking work, he was asked by human resources about his gender.

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

“When I said I am a human being, it was not good enough for them to give me a job,” he said.

Social prejudice and stigma in Bangladesh combine to exclude trans and intersex people, said Mahfuza Mala, a climate expert and gender justice activist who works for Naripokkho, a feminist organisation focused on gender issues.

As a result, these groups are especially vulnerable to shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and extreme weather fuelled by climate change, including the devastating floods that have hit the northeast this month.

In January 2014 – in a first for the conservative Muslim-majority South Asian nation of 165 million – the Bangladesh government attempted to integrate trans people into society by legally recognising “hijra” as a gender identity.

The word denotes people in “hijrat” or migration.

However, the Thomson Reuters Foundation interviewed several trans activists who said little has been done in practice to enable trans people to gain access to education, employment and other rights.

In addition, the precariousness of their livelihoods exposes them to destitution and abuse when they are caught up in crises.

Sukta Sagarika, chairperson of the Hijra Youth Welfare Organisation in Sylhet, a place affected by the recent floods, has given shelter to hijra people whose houses were inundated.

Hijra community members often rely on begging, performing at weddings or sex work to survive, and tend to live in small enclaves or rented houses.

“Hijras who rely on alms collection for their livelihood went without food,” said Sagarika of the flooding impact. “Since government support was not forthcoming, I had to feed as many people as I could manage.”

Disasters disrupt the work and regular life patterns of the trans and hijra communities and put them at risk of additional discrimination, said activist Mala.

“Transgender people cannot easily get access to the emergency shelters. They may get beaten and thrown out,” she noted.

Natasha Kabir, who set up the Bridge Foundation working with socially disadvantaged groups, said Bangladesh lacked an inclusive disaster management policy.

“Much of the support provided to transgender people is centralised in Dhaka, while those living in remote areas are often not included or represented,” she said.

At the Banishanta brothel in the coastal region of Khulna in southwest Bangladesh, hijra sex workers live with their female peers in thatched houses near the Pashur river, putting them at risk of floods, cyclones and other climate threats, said Shaikh Md. Mominul Islam (Moon), an activist working for trans rights.

A 2020 gender analysis by UN Women identified sex workers, including trans women, as one of the groups most affected by Cyclone Amphan.

The pandemic had already restricted their ability to earn a living and then the storm washed away many homes, yet they were cut off from aid and social support, the report said.

Emergency relief was primarily aimed at men, it added, while marginalised groups like trans people were left in the lurch.

RECOGNITION STRUGGLE

Trans people who do not identify with hijra culture also have a hard time pursuing education and employment due to harassment and discrimination and are almost socially invisible.

Banker Sudha noted she has often been called a “hijra”, even though “hijra and transgender are not the same”.

“Hijra is not a gender identity but an age-old subculture in South Asia,” said Manisha Meem Nipun, who runs the Pathchola Foundation Bangladesh for gender and sexual minorities.

The earliest mention of hijra people – traditionally comprising eunuchs, intersex and trans people – can be dated back to the Mahabharata, a Sanskrit epic written between the third century BC and third century AD.

The hijra culture has become associated over the centuries with practices such as guru-disciple relations, public begging and sex work, said Moon.

Following their legal recognition in 2014, hijra people gained the right to change their official documentation, such as passports, to reflect their gender identity.

Worldwide, at least 15 countries recognise third gender identities on passports, including Australia, Ireland and Nepal.

Hijra were also included as a separate category on Bangladesh’s national voting list in 2019.

But getting official papers remains an uphill struggle.

When opening a bank account, Mohona, a hijra who was assigned male at birth and runs an organisation to help hijra people find jobs in Rajshahi, had to get local authorities to certify she was the same person as recorded in her national ID.

“Changing documentation is a complex, time-consuming and labyrinthine process in Bangladesh anyway – and when it comes to changing one’s gender identification on papers, it can become genuinely prohibitive,” said trans activist Moon.

BEING COUNTED

In 2018, the government put the number of hijra people in Bangladesh at about 11,000 , although activists like Mohona say the real figure may be higher.

But trans people who are not part of the hijra community remain unaccounted for in official policies.

The government created a separate category for hijra people in the national census carried out this month.

But as there is no clear definition for trans people, they may not be accurately represented, while the data collection process did not include hijra or trans enumerators as had been expected, activists said.

The government’s hijra community development policy , drafted in 2013, defines its members as sexually handicapped people – a definition many find offensive.

“This makes no sense, because transgender identity has nothing to do with sexual disabilities,” said Moon.

The government offers training and employment opportunities to help hijra integrate into society – but often these do not suit people’s needs, said Mohona.

“Although I am a university graduate, the government offered me a low-grade job,” said Sudha.

She went on to take a recruitment test for a private commercial bank and got selected as the top candidate.

“We are now speaking up to get transgender people recruited in various organisations,” she added, urging educational institutions also to encourage more trans and hijra students.

“There is a need to upgrade the skills and competencies of the hijra and transgender community”, said activist Moon.

TAGGED: Bangladesh, Dhaka, transgender

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts and more!
Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
The Pink Times June 28, 2022
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Tumblr Reddit VKontakte Telegram Email
Share
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1433186274085588996/Xt2ihQJl_normal.jpg
@thepinktimes
0 Following
81 Followers
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1433186274085588996/Xt2ihQJl_normal.jpg Mar 23, 2023
Kate McKinnon makes history again with leading role in sci-fi film #LGBTQrepresentation #IntheBlinkofanEye… https://t.co/ACrLvJLdmO
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1433186274085588996/Xt2ihQJl_normal.jpg Mar 23, 2023
Step into a world of queer beauty and ancient Greece with photographer Helias Doulis. #QueerGrecoRomance… https://t.co/9kXm7OBXq1
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1433186274085588996/Xt2ihQJl_normal.jpg Mar 23, 2023
Step inside Elska Magazine's latest issue and discover the hot men of Bern's LGBTQ community. Get ready for intimat… https://t.co/1Y3BS6TkUZ
Out actress Kate McKinnon lands leading role in new sci-fi film
Movies
Stunning Queer Tribute to Ancient Greece’s Male Beauty: A Photographer’s Bold Take
Art Photography
Get up Close and Personal with Bern, Switzerland’s Hot LGBTQ Men in Elska Magazine’s Intimate Portrayal
Photography
Jojo Siwa Reveals Shocking Encounter With Former Employer Over Coming Out as Gay
People
VP Kamala Harris Congratulates Trans TikTok Star Dylan Mulvaney – Bigots React
People
Ad image
Join us!

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!

Most Viewed Posts

  • Hot Photos from Paul’s Book “Larrikin Prince” Unleashed
  • Hot and Sexy: A Visual Exploration of Masculine Bravado and Regal Splendor
  • A Shift in Perspective: The Art of Male Nude Photography
  • A Journey Through Male Body Diversity with InkedKenny and BEEFYBOY
  • The Ginger Sensation of RuPaul’s Drag Race: A Tribute to Bryce Eilenberg

Useful links

About us
Advertise
Contact
Newsletter

The Pink Times
Follow US

All rights reserved

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss the latest news, podcasts and more!

Please wait...

Thank you for sign up!

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?