Lahore, February 27, 2023 (PPI-OT):Inspector General Police Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar has said that Punjab Police is actively working and trying to protect the rights of all weak and subjugated sections of the society including the transgender community. IG Punjab said that our religion, law and ethics teach us to protect the rights of the weaker sections and the Punjab Police is doing its effective role to solve problems faced by the transgender community and provide them with all possible help and facilities.
Dr. Usman Anwar said that “Protection Centers” are being established in all the districts of the province to provide legal and social protection to the members of the transgender community. Likewise, DIG IT Ahsan Younis will work as project head for establishing the project and making them functional throughout the province.
IG Punjab said that in these protection centers, the members of the transgender community will be provided with legal assistance, social protection and complete awareness and guidance regarding all their problems. IG Punjab said that the protection of self-respect of the transgender community will be ensured and coordination will be improved with other private institutions including TEVTA, Labor Department to make them productive and skilled citizens of the society.
IG Punjab said that the members of the transgender community deserve special attention and treatment so that the sense of deprivation and fear found in them can be removed to the extent possible. Dr. Usman Anwar said that transgender people will be given priority in jobs on special quota in police offices, while no effort will be spared to solve other problems including economic exploitation of transgender people, mutual buying and selling and other social problems.
IG Punjab said that establishment of police protection centers do not require any additional resources but they will be activated in the already existing offices and a mutual network will be created in these centers with organizations and NGOs working for the transgender community.
Dr. Usman Anwar expressed these views while expressing his views in a discussion session titled “Protection of Transgender Community’s Rights” at the Central Police Office today. Organizations working to protect the rights of the transgender community, civil society workers and transgender people participated in the session and expressed their views.
Speaking at the event, Professor of Psychology Saad Malik said that the members of the transgender community have to face sexist behaviour firstly in their homes, when parents find out about the gender of their child, they consider it a burden and leave them helpless.
This behaviour leads to psychological murder of these children, from which they sink into the mire of deprivation and misery. Such persons deserve special help and attention and this program of Punjab Police will ensure Special Assistance to transgender community. Dr. Imran, Dr. Ayesha and Mishal Shah from Fountain House and Akhuwat Foundation participated and presented their suggestions for the betterment of the transgender community.
They said that transgenders suffer from feelings of inferiority and fear throughout their lives. They need psychological guidelines to remove their fears and their organization is ready to play its role in imparting training to Victim Support Officers.
Dawood Abdullah, Zaini Chaudhry, Transgender Reem Sharif and AIDS Control Program Dr. Abdul Farooq also participated in the event and expressed their views. ASP Shahr Bano gave a briefing about the program created by Punjab Police to help the transgender community, while DIG Ahsan Younis talked about the establishment and working of the first Protection Center of Punjab Police established in Rawalpindi.
He said that “Protection” centers were started three years ago for the transgender community within the Women’s Police Station of Rawalpindi and now on the direction of IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar, the scope of this project will be extended to all the districts of the province.
So that the problems of the people associated with this community can be resolved. In the event, civil society personalities, social organizations, transgender rights workers and other speakers presented their suggestions. IG Punjab thanked all the speakers and said that in the future, MoUs will be signed with various organizations to help and facilitate the transgender community and preferential measures will remain continued.
For more information, contact:
Punjab Police
Punjab Police Computer Bureau,
5th Floor, Central Police Office (CPO),
Punjab, Lahore
Tel: +92-42-99213019, +92-42-99213013
Fax: +92-42-99213012
Email: sapcb@punjabpolice.gov.pk
Website: www.punjabpolice.gov.pk