A big number of transgender people and their friends demonstrated outside the Karachi Press Club in protest of an alleged gang-rape organization known as the Beelas that recently attacked the transgender community.
The protest was organized by Dr. Muhammad Moiz, a transgender rights campaigner. He shared the photos on social media, along with the community’s concerns and needs in Pakistan. He posted the caption.
“Demands from the Citizenry:”
1. “We demand that the citizens of Pakistan shed the colonial imperialists’ teachings that go against our native khwaja sira community. Help us dismantle these structures and create a more just and equitable world for everyone by not being silent bystanders as groups like the beela network inflict violence on our community.”
2. “We demand khwaja siras and other trans-feminine bodies be provided adequate and affordable healthcare and education.”
3. “We call upon employers to offer khwaja siras respectable and honest employment.”
4. “We insist that all khwaja siras and other trans-feminine bodies everywhere, around the world be treated with respect and dignity.”
“Demands from the State:”
5. “The beelas who attacked Dr. Moiz and Ms. Firdous must be apprehended and brought forward to face justice within the next week.”
6. “The Sindh government must table a draft legislation that protects the Khwaja Sira community in the province, informed by the lived experiences of khwaja siras. We demand that this process be initiated before the end of 2021.”
7. “We demand that a special committee overseeing khwaja sira cases be set up in Sindh in collaboration with the relevant community-based organizations, with a special helpline that khwaja siras can use in an emergency.”
8. “The police must be sensitized to understand beelas’ behavior, while also addressing internal issues in the police departments that prevent most khwaja siras from launching FIRs.”
9. “We demand khwaja sira representation in the National and Provincial assemblies.”
10. “We demand the construction of safe houses for community members, that are run by the community, so we can adequately provide for community members in need—especially younger members of the community who face violence.”
“We are all creatures of the Divine Will. All of us want to create a more just and beautiful world, as outlined by His Words in the Holy Quran. Unfortunately, we have been ignored for too long. None of us should be capable of being prejudiced against any living creature, because we are not above Him and His Love for all things alive. Help us overcome these injustices; it is God’s calling.”