PAKISTAN'S TRANS COMMUNITY

The transgender community in Pakistan, known locally as khawaja sira or hijra, has a long cultural and religious history that dates back centuries. Traditionally recognized in spiritual, artistic, or ceremonial roles, transgender people have faced increasing marginalization over time due to political, religious, and social changes.

 

In recent years, Pakistan has taken some important steps toward legal recognition of transgender people, such as the 2018 Right to Gender Identity Act, which grants transgender people the right to identify with their gender, as well as protections against discrimination. However, despite this legislative progress, the daily reality remains difficult for many transgender people, especially in conservative contexts such as Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

 

In Peshawar, the transgender community faces numerous challenges, including social discrimination, economic exclusion, physical and verbal abuse, and difficulty accessing health services and education. Despite this, the city is also home to a resilient and courageous community, which seeks to assert its dignity through activism, solidarity and mutual support. Some local groups, with the help of NGOs and activists, work to improve the living conditions of transgender people, offering training, legal assistance and psychological support.

 

In a context of strong religious and cultural conservatism, the visible and active presence of the transgender community in Peshawar represents a sign of change and hope, but also a testimony to the challenges still to be faced in the fight for human rights and equality in Pakistan.