Pakistan’s transgender community highlights discrimination in securing jobs

Islamabad, April 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Members of the transgender community in Pakistan's Faisalabad have expressed concerns over the discrimination and the non-implementation of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018, especially the failure to implement the three per cent job quota in government and semi-government institutions, local media reported on Wednesday.

A Victim Support Officer at a Police Service Center, Dr Farri, said that individuals from transgender community continue to face problems in securing stable employment despite being highly qualified. Farri said that she holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan's leading daily, The Express Tribune reported. However, she is still struggling to find a job.

Recalling her experience, Farri said she faced verbal abuse and insensitive remarks from employers and the public while working temporarily at a private dairy farm. She further stated, "People would say it felt strange seeing me treat animals."

Dr Farri said she applied for jobs in several government departments under the reserved quota. However, she did not get selected for any of the posts.

She mentioned that employees are getting a salary of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 30,000 per month, which is below minimum wage standards, making it difficult to manage expenses amid rising inflation, The Express Tribune reported.

She said, "We cannot support our families or live with dignity under these conditions," urging the government to provide permanent employment and fair salaries.

Earlier in January, a report, while highlighting a recent attack on Bindiya Rana, said that violence against the transgender community has surged in Pakistan.

Rana was attacked at her home while she was having tea with Zehrish Khanzadi, another trans woman who works for the Gender Alliance Interactive (GIA), an organisation that advocates for transgender rights.

"Within seconds of Rana unlocking the door remotely from the kitchen, three shots rang out. The men fled, and she narrowly escaped all three bullets," Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the leading UK daily, The Guardian.

Rana is the head of GIA, while Khanzadi works as a rights activist.

"By morning, they had filed a formal police complaint against the unknown assailants. As an activist, Khanzadi is acutely aware of the risks that trans communities in Pakistan face, but she never expected to become a victim herself in the safety of her own home in Karachi. Those who protect others are now under attack," she told the UK newspaper.

The shooting incident on January 19 is the latest in a series of brutal assaults and killings of transgender people in Pakistan. In September, Nadira, a trans woman who had gone to beg at Sea View beach in Karachi, was attacked with a knife for rejecting a man who was approaching her.

"I told him I’m a beggar, not a sex worker, but he wouldn’t listen," Nadira, who is HIV-positive, said. She managed to protect her bag, which had Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2,500. However, the attacker stabbed her in the abdomen. Two days later, three trans women were shot at close range on Karachi's outskirts.

"Violence against the transgender community in Pakistan has surged. GIA has documented 55 killings in Sindh province between 2022 and September 2025, including 17 in Karachi. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, elders in several districts have been ordering trans women to leave, accusing them of 'corrupting the youth'. In September, about 200 people -- including four transgender people -- were arrested at a dance in Swabi," The Guardian stated.

Source: IANS