‘A NEW EXPECTED LIFE STYLE OF A SOCIETY FOR THIRD GENDER`

Project idea

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the recent social position of hijra as well as with the way social workers work with these people and the impact of their work. The aim of the study has been investigated by exploring the research questions focused on the perspectives of the hijra about their social acceptance, the addressing issues about social problem of hijra, working approach and actions by the social workers for social inclusion of hijra, the challenging experience of social work with hijra population and the way the initiatives for hijra including are them in the society.

Project description

I got interested in the issues around the hijra community, as they face a lot of social exclusion in that society. To be honest, compared to other social problems around Bangladesh.

I was quite unaware about this community and had lack of knowledge regarding their vulnerable situation.
There was only a small amount of studies that explored the problems around the hijra community.

Nevertheless, the information from those few studies illustrated various aspects of the extreme marginalized situation of the hijra, the complexity of their gender identity, HIV risks and at the same times the negligence of their problems by the entire society and the state.
However, these articles also showed that recently some NGOs and CBOs have started to acknowledge this community’s social needs, and to work from a human right’s perspective, as will be explained at the end of this chapter.
Accordingly, all these circumstances have motivated me to learn more about their social situations. Therefore, I have chosen to study the issues the hijra community faces, not because of a special interest in gender issues, but because of my interest in understanding the social difficulties they are facing in their daily lives and find ways to prevent these.

Technical information

Problems at Issue:
The discussion and arguments on transgender groups have been studied in many different parts of the world where identity, discrimination, equal rights and their social supports are usually expressed in academic and social welfare world.
In spite of this, the concept of transgender group is not widely spread and not discussed in Bangladesh. Only the term ‘hijra community’ is very well known in this context as it has a significant history within Indian sub-continent countries and some part of South Asian countries .
In the Indian sub-continent, the centuries old term ‘hijra’ is generally used to describe those men who are transvestites, intersexed, eunuch and hermaphrodite.

However, as a developing country with a large population, Bangladesh often faces diverse political, economic and social problems.
Along with poverty and natural disasters, some problems people in this context face on a daily basis concern for example: malnutrition, illiteracy, unemployment, corruption, political instability, violence against gender minority people and so on.
While the country has always been coping to overcome poverty and other problems; the prevention of gender discrimination regarding women has also been received as a major initiative by the state, however, the marginalized situation of the hijra community has consistently been ignored in the development sector, compared to other social problems.
The government has largely overlooked the discrimination against hijra community.

Humiliations in school: where to study?
Identity crisis: who am I?
Living for leaving: where to go?
Ageing or death: where is the end?
Illness of the hijra: where to seek healthcare from?
Sexual abuse and physical harassment: where is safety?
Love relations: whom to love? Occupation: where to work?
Ageing or death: where is the end?

Co-authors

‘A NEW EXPECTED LIFE STYLE OF A SOCIETY FOR THIRD GENDER`

Client - L.G.B.T .Q (BHONDHU SOCIAL WELFARE) .
Location - Rayer bazar.
site area – 318186.6 or 7.30 acre sft