The plight of the 'third gender'

In Bangladesh, those belonging to the transgender community are treated as if they are sub-humans. Although the government has classified transgender people as belonging to the “third gender”, it is not reflected in many public documents including their national identity cards.

While a number of Asian countries have adopted laws to protect the rights of these individuals, Bangladesh lags well behind in this regard. In October 2017, Human Rights Watch interviewed six transgender men living in different parts of the country. They detailed how they were bullied at school, barred from getting jobs and accessing basic services such as healthcare, and were subjected to harassment and verbal abuse. They also expressed fear for their safety. Oftentimes, their own family abandons them.

While many of them are involved in extorting money from people on the streets, it's because their opportunity to lead a normal life is extremely restricted. To be fair, however, the government has taken actions to pave the way for them to obtain public jobs. Yet, it needs to elevate the community to the mainstream of society by adopting more affirmative actions and launching campaigns to change social attitudes towards them.

Shapon Hossain

University of Dhaka