Violation of Human Rights of Street based Transgender person in Delhi

[Guest guest]

Violation of Human Rights: The Plight of Street based Transgender

Dear Forum Members,

This is to bring to everyone’s attention the regular violation of Human Rights

of transgender individuals at the hands of law enforcement agencies.

This is not just one case of transgender but a story of hundreds who live and

die on streets. This is a question and an open letter to the Ministry of Social

Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India to ponder over this and make appropriate

provisions and schemes for the empowerment of this community.

The organization SPACE- Society for People’s Awareness, Care & Empowerment’

is working for the health and rights of MSM and Transgender in the city of

Delhi. Recently one of a street based transgender was picked up by a police van

at India Gate on account of begging.

The individual was taken to a Beggars House located in Kingsway Camp, North

Delhi from where she called up the SPACE NGO–‘Delhi Dost’ help line and

narrated her case. The officials informed that she was caught begging and hence

arrested and given a sentence of one year imprisonment by the Magistrate on the

spot.

On meeting her she was found to be crying profusely in a pyjama and a brassier

as she was stripped by the official of the centre to check whether she is a male

or a female, which is a routine practice in police stations and at such centre

whenever a transgender is ‘caught’.

The practice in itself is very inhuman and undignified and done in front of

everybody with no privacy. She also reported that she was beaten by some

officials of the centre though the in-charge denied any such incident.

It must be noted that it was very difficult to meet the client as outsiders are

not allowed to meet any detainees.

The client would be sent to another centre located at Lampur Detention Centre,

North West Delhi for a year which is a ‘jail’ for beggars.

This is not the first time that such an incident is reported. This is an

everyday story. Every other day we come across such cases and abuses by police

and other officials at these centres where even meeting with them is denied.

For how long these transgender individuals who earn their living through begging

at traffic lights suffer this undignified inhuman behaviour. For how long and

how many of them can be released by NGO intervention?

What has the government, law and society done to alleviate their plight? Who is

willing to accept them, offer jobs to them? Being ridiculed, shamed, scorned and

abused by almost everyone what options they have besides begging? Being thrown

out of the family, suspended from schools on account of different behaviour as

dictated by society, sleeping on pavements and parks fearing for life with nil

income opportunities what do we expect.

Being looked upon as sex objects- all dignity, rights, ethics and values

associated with human beings are kept aside while dealing with them by people in

power. Even denying them the basic right to live with dignity we further pushes

them into serious vulnerable situations vis-à-vis HIV and other serious

infections.

After bearing it for long I was compelled to write this letter and some take

action. The organization is planning to file a PIL on the issue and seek support

from like minded individuals and agencies.

In Solidarity

Anjan Joshi

SPACE

Society for People’s Awareness, Care & Empowerment

New Delhi-

#011-23811714, 9818227105

spaceorganisation@...

anjanjoshi2008@...