Two transgender people were killed in northwest Pakistan overnight in an attack highlighting an increase in violence against trans people in the country, with culprits rarely receiving punishment. Muhammad Faheem, a police spokesman in the city of Mardan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, said on October 21 that police were searching for the attackers. A third member of the transgender community was present at the attack, but hid and was unharmed. This person has been providing police with information about the attack. Mahi Gula, the deputy head of a nongovernmental organization working for the rights of transsexuals in the conservative region, said his group's data shows that 122 transsexuals have been killed in the province since 2009, but none of the attacks have resulted in convictions. Transgender people say they are regularly subjected to harassment and abuse in Muslim-majority Pakistan, while some are the victims of so-called honor killings carried out by relatives to punish perceived sexual transgressions. To read the original story by Radio Mashaal, click here.
2 Transgender People Killed In Northwest Pakistan
Transgender people rally in Peshawar in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province earlier this year to demand better protection from violence.