Peshawar is taking a groundbreaking step in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by deciding to include transgender individuals in the police force and setting up dedicated desks in police stations.
The first trans desk has been established at Gulbahar police station in Peshawar, with an educated transgender individual set to be stationed there. Peshawar police have sought three names from the transgender association for verification. This week marks the appointment of a transgender assistant to address the challenges faced by the community, such as security issues and the registration of FIRs at the police station level.
SSP Operations Peshawar, Kashif Aftab Abbasi, expressed that the transgender community had long advocated for a separate desk, which was swiftly approved pending the submission of names from the community. Deployment of personnel to these desks will soon be finalized.
Additionally, a committee for the protection of transgenders has been reestablished at the district level. This six-member committee, headed by the SSP Operations and including members such as SP Security and SP Fakirabad, will convene monthly and incorporate two representatives from the transgender community.
In conjunction with the establishment of these special desks, Peshawar held its first open court for transgenders, drawing participants from across the district.
Arzoo, President of the Trans Community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighted that since 2013, over 100 transgenders have been killed in the province. Instances of violence against this community are escalating, underscoring the necessity of maintaining these special desks for an extended period.
Mahi Gul, a transgender individual from Peshawar, emphasized that while FIRs are filed when transgenders face abuse, the perpetrators often go free. The open courtroom in Peshawar marks a significant initial stride, and extending similar measures monthly across the province could amplify the voices of transgenders and potentially reduce violence against them.