3 research outputs found
Living on the Extreme Margin: Social Exclusion of the Transgender Population (Hijra) in Bangladesh
The transgender people (hijra), who claim to be neither male nor female, are socially excluded in Bangladesh. This paper describes social exclusion of hijra [The term is used in this abstract both in singular and plural sense] focusing on the pathway between exclusion and sexual health. In an ethnographic study, 50 in-depth interviews with hijra, 20 key-informant interviews, and 10 focus-group discussions (FGDs), along with extensive field observations, were conducted. The findings revealed that hijra are located at the extreme margin of exclusion having no sociopolitical space where a hijra can lead life of a human being with dignity. Their deprivations are grounded in non-recognition as a separate gendered human being beyond the male-female dichotomy. Being outside this norm has prevented them from positioning themselves in greater society with human potential and security. They are physically, verbally, and sexually abused. Extreme social exclusion diminishes self-esteem and sense of social responsibility. Before safer sex interventions can be effective in a broader scale, hijra need to be recognized as having a space on society's gender continuum. Hijra, as the citizens of Bangladesh and part of society's diversity, have gender, sexual and citizenship rights, that need to be protected
Living on the Extreme Margin: Social Exclusion of the Transgender Population (Hijra) in Bangladesh
The transgender people (hijra), who claim to be neither male nor
female, are socially excluded in Bangladesh. This paper describes
social exclusion of hijra [The term is used in this abstract both in
singular and plural sense] focusing on the pathway between exclusion
and sexual health. In an ethnographic study, 50 in-depth interviews
with hijra, 20 key-informant interviews, and 10 focus-group discussions
(FGDs), along with extensive field observations, were conducted. The
findings revealed that hijra are located at the extreme margin of
exclusion having no sociopolitical space where a hijra can lead life of
a human being with dignity. Their deprivations are grounded in
non-recognition as a separate gendered human being beyond the
male-female dichotomy. Being outside this norm has prevented them from
positioning themselves in greater society with human potential and
security. They are physically, verbally, and sexually abused. Extreme
social exclusion diminishes self-esteem and sense of social
responsibility. Before safer sex interventions can be effective in a
broader scale, hijra need to be recognized as having a space on
society\u2019s gender continuum. Hijra, as the citizens of Bangladesh
and part of society\u2019s diversity, have gender, sexual and
citizenship rights, that need to be protected