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NHRC’s First Ever Study On Transgender Rights Is Out & The Results Are Shocking

Around 92% of transgenders are deprived of the right to participate in any form of economic activity.

For the first time since its inception in 1993, India’s top human rights body— the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)—has finally made efforts to understand the condition of the transgender community in India. The results of the study have only confirmed the long-told stories of discrimination, violence, deprivation and abuse faced by transgenders in India. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome move in an effort to take forward the conversation on transgender rights.

So what did NHRC do? 

According to a Times of India report, the NHRC, in collaboration with a research organization Kerala Development Society (KDS), took up its first-ever study to gauge the condition and living standards of transgender community in India.

Representational Image | Photo: Subham Dutta/ Indian Express

What did they find? 

The study only reiterated the shocking daily humiliation and harassment faced by people belonging to the third gender. However, it was also able to provide a quantifiable picture of the apathy and discrimination they face.

According to the 2011 census, there are 4.9 lakh transgenders in India. However, the estimates by transgender activists and organizations put the figure between 60-80 lakh as many avoid to reveal their identity due to discrimination.

Take a look at these figures:

Will things change? 

The answer lies in the status of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 which is still pending before the parliament. While the bill is not a panacea for the problems faced by transgenders in India, the legislation, if passed, will be a landmark effort in ensuring social justice and an end to centuries-old discrimination.

Earlier this month, the government reintroduced the transgender bill after clearing 27 amendments to the original draft of the bill. The government also accepted nine of the 11 major suggestions of a parliamentary standing committee formed to study the bill. However, with the end of the monsoon session of parliament, the bill didn’t come up for the discussion.

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