Five Transgenders Persons Appointed At Odisha Hospital

Five members of the transgender community have been appointed as security guards at an Odisha hospital. The Malkangiri district administration has appointed Durga, Sonali, Tushar, Kailash and Hial as security guards at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in the initial phase. They work at the Labour Room and Pre and Post Mental Care Units of the hospital.

According to Orissa Post, a private security company has taken the security tender of the hospital. It is the company that has given appointment to the transgender people as per the instruction of the district administration.

Providing Jobs To Transgender People

The Nirmala Yojna speaks of trans inclusion in the workplace. An official told Sambad English that “under the ‘Nirmala’ yojana, the district administration has provided jobs to third- gender people.” The official also said that third-gender people will be provided with more jobs in the coming days.

“After undergoing training of 15 days, five of us joined here and we are extremely happy about it. We stay at the hospital for eight-hours every day during which we take care of the patients.”

#Malkangiri District Headquarters Hospital authorities set a precedent by roping in five transgenders as security guards to promote workplace equality & empowerment of LGBT community #Odisha pic.twitter.com/u1emaDtj2s

— OTV (@otvnews) November 23, 2019

The Malkangiri Police have given the required training to the new security guards. Moreover, five will receive insurance and other facilities, as well as a monthly remuneration of ₹6000 to ₹7000.

Kailash Dora spoke to OdishaTV about the new job and said, “After undergoing training of 15 days, five of us joined here and we are extremely happy about it. We stay at the hospital for eight-hours every day during which we take care of the patients.”

READ ALSO: Kerala's CMS College All Set To Educate Transgender People 

Trans Inclusion In Workplaces

Trangender people in India face not only discrimination but also harassment on a regular basis. The community faces serious marginalization. According to a National Human Rights Commission study, “92 percent of transgenders are deprived of the right to participate in any form of economic activity in the country.” Moreover, “even qualified ones are refused jobs.”

The study also shows that 96 percent of transgenders are denied jobs. As a result, they are forced to take low paying or undignified work for livelihood like badhais, sex work as well as begging.

In states like Odisha and Tamil Nadu, a few schemes are in place to protect the rights and dignities of the transgender community. Odisha provides 100 days of paid work annually to transgender people. It also gives them pensions and loans to start a business.

However, the country is far from being a safe place for transgender people. Most notably, the Transgender Persons Bill has been criticised by the community for being demeaning. Experts have also pointed out several flaws with the Bill, including its denial of peoples’ right to self-identification of their gender.

“Under the ‘Nirmala’ yojana, the district administration has provided jobs to third- gender people.” The official also said that third-gender people will be provided with more jobs in the coming days.

Transgender People Breaking Barriers

Despite the marginalization they face, the transgender community continues to break barriers. 20-year-old Adam Harry is set to become the first transgender pilot in India. The Kerala government has also come forward to help Adam Harry and will pay for his training. The state's social justice department has approved Rs 23.34 lakh to help Harry pursue a three-year course at the Rajiv Gandhi Academy for Aviation Technology.

Kerala's first transgender broadcast journalist is Heidi Saadiya. She made history and broke several stereotypes. She made her debut as a journalist on a Malayalam news channel.

Naaz Joshi, a transgender model, won the title of Miss World Diversity 2019.  She is a NIFT graduate who started her modelling career in 2013.

READ ALSO: Transgender Women Who Are Trailblazers In Their Field 

Picture Credit: Orissa Post

Prapti is an intern with SheThePeople.TV