SOCIAL INCLUSION OF TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY IN URBAN SERVICES PLANNING IN DNCC AREA

This research was conducted by Sanjida Bintey Ali and funded by Share-Net Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s transgender community has been neglected for a long period of time. An estimated 10,000 of Bangladesh’s total population belong to the transgender community. Bangladesh Govt. officially recognized transgender as the third sex or third gender on November 11, 2013, and secured the voting rights as the citizen of the country and promised to give provision in health, education, employment, etc. The main objectives of this study are to find out the social inclusion of the transgender community in the urban service delivery providers in the DNCC area and what kind of problems they face to access the urban basic and community services.

This study is followed by a qualitative research approach and qualitative strategies to fulfill the research objectives and to identify the basic service provision of the transgender community. For being worked on the most sensitive community of the country, the data collection approach needed to do snowball sampling to get the information from the transgender community. Views of the expertise from different fields have also been gathered in this study to figure out in detail findings. The expected outcome of the study is to find out the social inclusion of the transgender community in urban service delivery provision and community facilities and to figure
out what kind of abuse and harassment they face to access the services and facilities and who do these kinds of anomalies. The long-term goal of this research is to find the all possible solutions of abuse and harassment against the transgender community and promote a gender sensitized social system which will help transgender people to live with respect and dignity and facilitate with all kind of citizenry facilities and services.

Download full research: Social inclusion of transgender community in urban services planning in DNCC area 

This research summarizes very noticeable findings. From the survey, it is found that most of the responded transgender people are illiterate or completed primary level education. Only 2% of them have completed the SSC. Almost 98% of respondents are currently living without their family and all had left their family and home during their early teenage life due to their family members, relatives, and neighbour’s verbal and psychological abuse and harassment. Almost all respondents have faced social and psychological abuses to access housing and utility services. They are deprived of better community life and better services. In the case of housing and other basic services, almost all respondents mainly faced psychological, verbal and sexual orientation harassment by the different stakeholders related to those services. But there is some good news also that make us hopeful that their situation is going to be changed. Government, as well as NGOs and Civil Society Organizations, are working restlessly to uphold their rights and entitlement. All we need to do that to support them and to join the movement of their rights. Their social protection and employment opportunity creation mechanism must be rethought. We have to ensure gender sensitized society, educational institutes, health services, working environment. Now it’s time to try for mainstreaming their urban civic needs and basic services like our regular society. This will ensure social inclusion and their situation will be improved gradually.