By YKA Staff:
A new redrafted Rights of Transgender Persons Bill has been cleared by a committee from the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, which includes a chapter detailing a series of offences which shall be treated as atrocity and violence against transgenders.
Some of these offences include: forcing a transgender to leave a village or residence, forcibly removing their clothes and parading them naked or enticing them to beg or do similar forms of bonded labour (other than compulsory service for public purposes imposed by government), or committing any act that is derogatory to human dignity.
It also includes wrongfully dispossessing a transgender from his or her land or premises and forcing them to leave their house, village or any other place of residence.
Intentionally insulting or intimidating with the intent to humiliate a transgender person in any place within public view, assaulting or using force on them to dishonour or outrage their modesty, denying the right of passage to a place of public resort and preventing them from using such a resort which others members have a right to use or access will fall within the ambit of atrocities.
The Bill was redrafted and approved by a committee constituted under the chairmanship of the Secretary from the Ministry and has now been referred for inter-ministerial consultation.
According to a senior Ministry official, “The Bill has been redrafted and new chapters and provisions have been included following inputs from stakeholders concerned during the pre-legislative consultation meeting held on January 18. It has now been referred for inter-ministerial consultation.”
A National Council for Transgender Persons will also be constituted by the Union government, as per the redrafted Bill. This Council will serve to advise central and state governments on the entire gamut of issues related to transgenders.
Also, transgenders who do not belong to Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes by birth may be declared as Backward Class and would be entitled to reservation under the existing ceiling of OBC category, according to the draft Bill.
After the setting up of welfare boards in several states like West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as acknowledging trans-individuals in various professional fields, these measures can be seen as a step in the right direction towards ensuring equality and exclusivity in society.
With inputs from PTI.