DCW Sets Up Transgender Cell To Resolve Discrimination Cases

The Delhi Commission for Women has formed a transgender cell to take up complaints of violence, abuse, harassment and discrimination against members of the transgender community in the capital. DCW chief Swati Malliwal long with member Promila Gupta recently had a meeting with transgender persons to seek their advice on the role and responsibilities of the cell as well as to gain an in-depth understanding about the issues being faced by the community.

“It pains my heart to see the condition of the Transgender as well as the LGBTQ community in our country. The transgender especially is suffering a lot. The Transgender Cell shall focus on the problems faced by the transgender community. It shall also look into complaints of abuse from the LGBTQ community. Even though the Supreme Court has passed a judgment that transgender should be given jobs in the Government, the same is yet to be implemented. Even the Transgender Bill has lapsed in the Parliament. We stand by the community and shall advocate their cause to the fullest – both at the policy as well as the ground level,” said Malliwal in a statement.

The community members informed the Commission that the police often refused to register complaints dismissing them as culprits without even hearing them. They escalated the identity crisis faced by them as their Aadhaar cards, despite having an option of the third gender, recognises their sex and not the gender with which they identify themselves creating several issues for them.

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The Transgender cell aims to spread awareness around the discriminatory issues faced by the transgender persons in the capital. The initiative by the DCW comes around six months after the Delhi High Court led by Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal stated that Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which concerns the punishment for sexual harassment post the Supreme Court's National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) verdict which recognised transgender people to be a third gender.

“It pains my heart to see the condition of the Transgender as well as the LGBTQ community in our country. The transgender especially is suffering a lot. The Transgender Cell shall focus on the problems faced by the transgender community. It shall also look into complaints of abuse from the LGBTQ community. Even though the Supreme Court has passed a judgment that transgender should be given jobs in the Government, the same is yet to be implemented”

The Commission had announced to set up a transgender cell during its Mahila Suraksha Padyatra in March this year when Maliwal walked along with transgender people and hundreds of volunteers and received several complaints from them.

Kerala government also took a step forward towards reducing discrimination towards the transgender community by prohibiting the use of 'third gender' or 'other gender' in official government communication. Project officer of the state Transgender Cell, Shyama S Prabha welcomed the move and told The News Minute that the issues of transgender persons are always being spoken about on the lines of sex and sexuality.

Picture credit- DCW

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