Need stressed for maintaining database of transgender.

ISLAMABAD -- Contrary to developed countries, unfortunately the national database does not have the accurate statistics about the transgender community which are considered a key tool for bringing them in mainstream and ensuring their socio-economic uplift.

The collection of evidence-based data is imperative to prepare socio-economic profile of transgender community and it could only possible through involvement of Gurus, leaders of eunuchs groups who take abandoned transgender into care, in this process, said Federal Ombudsman Secertariat's Commissioner for Transgender, Syeda Viqar Un Nisa while talking to reporter.

She emphasized the need for evolving a system which could help NGOs in involving the gurus, who had the actual details about their community. It would help the government in taking policy initiatives for them, she added.

Highlighting the issues being faced by her office in facilitating them, she said 'At present, we are relying on the statistics collected in the recently conducted population census, showing that the country has 10,400 transgender. This data is not correct at all,' she claimed.

She complained that the ombudsman transgender office was facing serious issues in highlighting grievances of eunuchs at various platforms, evoking urgency for creating a database to facilitate them.

Head of SAFAAR (NGO) and a Transgender Nadeem Kashish said that the Guru culture prevailing among the eunuchs was identical to the Jirga system which was actually against the constitutional and cultural norms.

Usually, the gurus do not share the transgender data and we have to create a legal ground to make the Gurus legally bound for exchanging information, she insisted.

The transfer of transgender to a guru should be ensured through a contract which would help give an identity to the children they adopt.

Complaining about lack of data of transgender, she said that she was in consultation with international NGOs to collect the accurate data so that they could...