ani, 45, is a warm full-of-life transwoman. She has lived in Shakargarh since her childhood. She was very young when her parents abandoned her.

Since she had no means of supporting herself, she joined some other trans-persons who fended for themselves by performing at social events. However, she soon realised that she could not continue. She gave up entertaining wedding guests and started begging.

“I go to people’s houses and ask them for some money. Most of them make fun of me and shut their doors,” says Rani.

“Both adults and children make fun of us. Apparently nobody tells them that as human beings we deserve the same respect as others,” she says.

“It’s hard finding gainful employment in rural areas. We lack education, skills and experience,” says Rani. “I make a little money by matchmaking and get by. It’s even more difficult for other members of the community,” she tells TNS.

Perpetual struggle

The marginalisation and stigma attached to the transgender community continue to restrict livelihood choices of transwomen. “I have been asking for money for years despite facing abuse and harassment, “ says Gulshan, a 38-year-old.

“I have to face ridicule and abuse every day. After years of such treatment, I have grown used to it,” she sighs. ‘’My parents do not support me, although they want me to send them some money occasionally,” she says.

Transwomen, already at the margins of the society because of their gender identity, are finding it even more difficult to cope with the rising inflation. Many of them find themselves forced to explore new ways of generating income – but that comes with new risks.

“When I hear news of a newborn, I visit the family and ask for some money. Sometimes the people I visit are happy and give me money, but this doesn’t happen every day. On those lucky days, I can make do with what I get; on bad days, I may have nothing to eat,” says Gulshan.

The mother of a transgender woman, speaking on the condition of anonymity, tells TNS, “I faced so much pressure from neighbours and relatives. They kept telling me I had to disown my daughter.”

“When my son got married, his in-laws would keep on asking us why we’re letting our daughter live with us,” she says. “These new relatives kept on insisting that we abandon her. We argued about it almost daily,” she says. “Such pressure from other people breaks my heart. Nobody really listens to me,” she adds.

Only 90 transgender people in Narowal are registered and have identity cards. Not a single transgender person in the city has a university degree and no transgender person is employed in a government institution. 

According to information received through a Right to Information request, only 90 transgender people in Narowal are registered and have identity cards.

Not a single transgender person has a university degree in the city and no transgender person is employed in a government institution.

There is not a single transgender person currently enrolled at a university in Narowal and there are hardly ten transgender people who have finished secondary school and passed matric examinations in the last five years.

According to Punjab Gender Partial Report 2021, only two transgender people were registered at birth in the district in the last two years.

Registration of transgender persons’ deaths too is a declining trend. There is clearly a need for consistent efforts to enfranchise and document the transgender community.

The 2017 census had put the number of transgender people living in Narowal district at around 400. The number has varied, besides other factors, on account of internal migration.

Policies and schemes

The absence of identity cards and registration with the NADRA excludes most of the transgender persons from the benefits of social protection schems, including the Benazir Income Support Programme and Ehsaas Programme.

‘’We provided sewing machines to some members of the transgender community in Narowal. Transwomen can dance and sing for a while, after that, they don’t have enough energy or capacity to dance at weddings. If they have no other employment opportunities at that age then they have no option but to beg on the streets,” says Mehwish, a rights activist working with the transgender community. “We tried giving them sewing machines to help them avoid begging. However, that did not change much,” she admits.

‘’The most important thing is to have a vocational training institution that equips transgender people with skills that help them sustain themselves. This is primarily the responsibility of the local governments,” says Mehwish.

‘’Now transgender people have to undergo a medical examination to secure identity cards. For this they are referred to the district hospital. Having obtained a certificate from a doctor, they are supposed to go to the NADRA office,” explains Mehwish. She says the hassle is a disincentive. “Many transgender people opt not to apply for identity cards because of this reason,” she says.

‘’Our efforts led to the creation of a ward for transgender people at Narowal District Hospital in 2021. It is still functional but there are all kinds of complaints about its administration,” she tells TNS.

“We need to change our narrative about transgender people. We are working on this in Narowal,” says Mehwish.

The writer is a freelance journalist. She tweets @SaBa_Ch_