Hijras’ third gender identity virtually remains unrecognised

Though the government has recognised the transgender or hijra community as the third gender over two and a half years back, the Election Commission is yet to enroll them as voters and provide them with NID cards with their distinct sexual identity, reports UNB.
Currently, the hijra community members have to be enlisted as either male or female since there is no option given in the voter registration form or in the NID (National Identity) card to write third gender as their sex, discouraging many of them to be voters.
According to the latest voter list published on January 31, 2016, the number of the country’s total voters is 9,98,98,553, including 5,03,20,362 men and 4,95,78191 women. But no statistics regarding hijra or third gender was shown in the updated list. Right activists and hijra leaders think the EC is not only ignoring the hijra community but also defying the government’s order by refraining from implementing the cabinet’s decision to identify hijra as third gender in all official documents.
In November 2013, the cabinet approved a ‘policy decision’ to identify hijras as people of a separate gender or the third in order to secure their rights, enabling them to identify their gender as ‘hijra’ in all government documents, including passports and NID cards.
Later on January 16, 2014, the government issued a gazette notification in this connection. Though the decision still remains unimplemented in the voter registration and the NID card services, the EC has no satisfactory answer as to why it could not do it. Talking to UNB, Sachetan Samajseba Hijra Sangha president Ivan Ahmed Katha said they cannot understand why the EC is showing negligence about recognising hijras in the voter list and NID.
“We feel embarrassed to identify ourselves as men or women. We also hesitate to stand in the queues of either male or female voters to exercise our voting rights. Though there’s a separate option (others) for hijras in the passport form, we can’t use it as there’s no such option in the birth certificate and the NID card,” Katha added. Pinky Shikdar, chief of Badhan Hijra Sangha, said they are facing many problems, as they are still deprived of basic rights since their third gender identity is yet to be implemented.
“The government should give us third gender identity through parliament and take proper steps for its immediate implementation to ensure our rights. The sooner the government takes this move, the better it’ll be for us.”
Pinky said many of their community members did not get enlisted as voters as there is no option in the voter list to write their gender as third gender. Soliman, a hijra who lives in Mirpur and completed graduation in Tourism and Tourism Management, said they now face serious problems in taking house rent and availing of state facilities as their third gender identity recognition is still only on paper.
Solaiman said the government should take steps so that they can get proper share of their paternal property as third gender. “It also can introduce quota in various public jobs for third gender so that educated hijras can get job.”
Contacted, ActionAid Bangladesh country director and right activists Farah Kabir said it is unfortunate the Election Commission could not implement a government decision over a long period.
“We urge the government to take action in this regard and give the Commission a deadline to implant its decision.”
Asked whether the Commission will take any plan to recognise hijras as third gender in the voter list, EC Secretary Md Sirazul Islam claimed it has already been included in the new
voter registration form following the cabinet decision.
But no option of third gender or hijra or other was found in the form provided in the EC’s website on Friday. There are only men and women available in the gender option in the voter registration form.
According to official figure, the number of transgender group is around 10,000 in Bangladesh, but Badhan Hijra Sangha and some other hijra organisations claim it will be nearly 100,000.

 

Hijras third gender identity virtually remains unrecognised

Though the government has recognised the transgender or hijra community as the third gender over two and a half years back, the Election Commission is yet to enroll them as voters and provide them with NID cards with their distinct sexual identity, reports UNB. Currently, the hijra community members have to be enlisted as either male or female since there is no option given in the voter registration form or in the NID (National Identity) card to write third gender as their sex, discouraging many of them to be voters. According to the latest voter list published on January 31, 2016, the number of the countrys total voters is 9,98,98,553, including 5,03,20,362 men and 4,95,78191 women. But no statistics regarding hijra or third gender was shown in the updated list. Right activists and hijra leaders think the EC is not only ignoring the hijra community but also defying the governments order by refraining from implementing the cabinets decision to identify hijra as third gender in all official documents. In November 2013, the cabinet approved a policy decision to identify hijras as people of a separate gender or the third in order to secure their rights, enabling them to identify their gender as hijra in all government documents, including passports and NID cards. Later on January 16, 2014, the government issued a gazette notification in this connection. Though the decision still remains unimplemented in the voter registration and the NID card services, the EC has no satisfactory answer as to why it could not do it. Talking to UNB, Sachetan Samajseba Hijra Sangha president Ivan Ahmed Katha said they cannot understand why the EC is showing negligence about recognising hijras in the voter list and NID. We feel embarrassed to identify ourselves as men or women. We also hesitate to stand in the queues of either male or female voters to exercise our voting rights. Though theres a separate option (others) for hijras in the passport form, we cant use it as theres no such option in the birth certificate and the NID card, Katha added. Pinky Shikdar, chief of Badhan Hijra Sangha, said they are facing many problems, as they are still deprived of basic rights since their third gender identity is yet to be implemented. The government should give us third gender identity through parliament and take proper steps for its immediate implementation to ensure our rights. The sooner the government takes this move, the better itll be for us. Pinky said many of their community members did not get enlisted as voters as there is no option in the voter list to write their gender as third gender. Soliman, a hijra who lives in Mirpur and completed graduation in Tourism and Tourism Management, said they now face serious problems in taking house rent and availing of state facilities as their third gender identity recognition is still only on paper. Solaiman said the government should take steps so that they can get proper share of their paternal property as third gender. It also can introduce quota in various public jobs for third gender so that educated hijras can get job. Contacted, ActionAid Bangladesh country director and right activists Farah Kabir said it is unfortunate the Election Commission could not implement a government decision over a long period. We urge the government to take action in this regard and give the Commission a deadline to implant its decision. Asked whether the Commission will take any plan to recognise hijras as third gender in the voter list, EC Secretary Md Sirazul Islam claimed it has already been included in the new voter registration form following the cabinet decision. But no option of third gender or hijra or other was found in the form provided in the ECs website on Friday. There are only men and women available in the gender option in the voter registration form. According to official figure, the number of transgender group is around 10,000 in Bangladesh, but Badhan Hijra Sangha and some other hijra organisations claim it will be nearly 100,000.