Trans women leading fearful lives in Hyderabad city

HYDERABAD: JULY 28 Trans women in the city are leading fearful lives, apprehensive of being abused, harassed and kidnapped, according to experiences shared by them. Facing rejection from families, and being forced into prostitution and begging, trans women said that their journey is an arduous one, as they have to undergo sex change operations in many instances to live a normal life.

They said that after being pushed out of their homes by the time they turn 13-15 years, they are harassed by society, claiming that even the police do not help register cases filed by them. Trans women said that once they are on the streets, they are recruited by trans associations, presidents of which forced them to beg and undertake sex work.

Further, the presidents demand Rs 5,000-Rs10,000 per month for sheltering them. Trans women at a skill training programme in a government-run institute in Kukatpally said that while these association presidents, also known as gurus, sometimes urge them to find better work, most of them exploit their community members.

“These gurus wear gold chains weighing more than five kilograms. They make a lot of money by just giving us shelter, as no one else does that easily. Our fight continues with the police, who refuse to file assault cases related to us. We are just harassed and assaulted in the name of sex work and are continually robbed,” a trans woman at the centre said.