Two transgender women tortured and killed in Pakistan

Police and residents gather outside the house where the two women were found in Pakistan (Photo: Facebook / Trans Action Pakistan)

Police in Pakistan this weekend found the bodies of two transgender women who were tortured and beaten to death.

Officials found the two women in a locked house in the Sahiwal district of the eastern Punjab province on Saturday (27 July), Senior officer Mohammad Ali Zia told the Associated Press.

He said it was unclear what motivated the killer. But, he told AP, they died on Wednesday.

One of the women was aged between 25 and 30 and the other about 31, according to Trans Action Pakistan.

In a Facebook post, the local trans group also reports the police were gathering evidence.

Violence getting worse in Pakistan

At least 62 transgender Pakistanis were killed in 2018.

In August last year, Pakistan’s trans community took to the streets to protest violence against the community. They demanded better police protection.

Pakistan passed a landmark legislation to protect transgender people in May. But, the community still faces widespread violence and discrimination on the ground.

Activists want a government body to implement anti-discrimination laws.

Trans Pakistanis face mistreatment at the hands of police, government officials, and healthcare professionals. Families and communities often reject transgender Pakistanis. They suffer high levels of mental health problems as a result.

President of the group, Farzana Jana, recently told Gay Star News that ‘violence against the transgender community is getting worse’.

‘The transgender community is much more likely to be violently attacked than any other marginalized group in Khyber Pakhtukhwa’ Farzana Jana said.

‘Laws alone are not sufficient, there needs to be empathy and rule of law’.

‘Lives of transgender community in Pakistan can not improve without education and deeper learning about the transgender community.

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