Due to gender discrimination and harassment, the eunuchs of Sindh are also away from the electoral process
Syed Sibte Hassan Rizvi
Shahzadi Rai, an activist for the
rights of the transgender community in the 2018 general elections, faced
difficulties when she came to witness the polling process at the polling
stations of Gulistan Johar karachi during the election.
People present there including
political party workers not only laughed but also raised questions.
The Shahzadi Rai says
that a separate queue for the transgender community is far-fetched.
Both men and women were watching
the arrival of eunuchs in the polling station in a strange way.
The situation was similar in the
recent municipal elections.
Although Sindh is moving towards
enlightenment in this regard, objection was also raised on the inclusion of transgender
in the council in Sanghar district of Sindh.
Shahzadi Rai says that this time there is a fear that many
members of the transgender community will not exercise their right to vote.
NADRA has not updated its software and voter registration has not started even
though the Election Commission has passed the deadline.
Shahzadi Rai says that the way Afghan immigrants are being
deported, there is fear even thinking that we will not be transferred to the
detention center in the coming tomorrow. There is great fear in this regard in
the community.
They are forced to hide their
identity.
According to the data of Sindh
Population Welfare Department, the total number of eunuch community in Sindh is
2 thousand 527.
Similarly, the number of eunuchs in
Karachi is 1497.
These figures are taken from the
2017 census.
The transgender community also
objects to these figures.
According to the report of Gender
Interactive Alliance, an organization working for trans-rats, the registration
of eunuchs in Sindh is around 38 thousand.
22 thousand members of the
community are registered in Karachi.
According to Program Manager Gender
Interactive Alliance Zaharsh Khanzadi, the transgender community faces more
difficulties after revealing their identity.
During the corona epidemic, the
issue of vaccination was also raised by a separate row of the transgender
community.
Behavior of political parties
When the question was asked to many
eunuchs who participated in the local body elections, whether you are made to
stand in the men's line or in the women's line on the polling day, their answer
was that we are made to stand in the men's line. We are being ridiculed in a
full way. What have you come here to do, even if you come into politics, you
people will dance.
Called by strange names. Who do the
sentences go to? A spectacle is made in front of everyone.
First of all, there is no separate
queue on our polling day. Second, if we stand a little too far in front or behind
the women's line, she starts shouting that what is the eunuch doing here
standing in our line.
When we are lined up in men's line,
not only are we looked at wrongly, but hands are used, words are used and all
kinds of abuse is done which no one can stop.
Some political parties even hate
our name and they are not willing to keep us with them, nor do they accept us
as human beings.
Khawaja Sara Almas says that after
the Sharia Court, participating in the election has become nominal because the
process of making ID cards in our NADRA has stopped, neither new ID cards have
been made and the ones that were made have been frozen. Now how can the
election stage proceed?
۔When asked
about the recent population of eunuchs living in Sindh, the Director of
Statistics Karachi said that our data has not been compiled so far and we are
unable to say anything in this regard.
NADRA officials were repeatedly called in this regard and sent messages on WhatsApp and mobile phones that after the decision of the Sharia Court, have you stopped making cards for eunuchs, then they also did not consider it necessary to respond.
According to the documents, 3
thousand 29 transgender voters from across the country will exercise their
right to vote, the number of registered transgender voters has increased by 1
thousand 116 compared to the 2018 elections.
Currently, the highest number of
registered eunuch voters are in Punjab province, the total number of registered
eunuch voters in Punjab is 2200, in the 2018 elections, the number of eunuch
voters registered in Punjab was 1,356.
Director Election Commission Babar
Malik said that the Election Commission gives the right to vote to all eligible
people without discrimination of gender, the Election Commission is taking
steps to register their vote for transgender, even on polling day, transgender
can vote. The Election Commission will take steps to put
Shahzadi Rai has suggested that if the transgender stand in the women's line tomorrow, they should not mind and standing in the men's line is not appropriate, we will try our best to make a separate line for them.
Where they can exercise their right to vote in a civilized manner.
She further
said that there is a dire need for the caretaker government, political parties
and important institutions to conduct a campaign regarding the voting process
of transgender women in which people exercise their right to vote. Do not
consider them as disabled, but they should have the same rights as all human
beings.
