The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

ENG 105
ENG 105
Section 40
Sec - 40

The Rights
The Rights
Of Hijras
of Hijras
In Bangladesh
in Bangladesh

Submitted by
Mohammad Sadman Sikder
ID: 1922199630

Submitted to
Dr. Nadra Islam
Department of English &
Modern Languages
North South
1 University
 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I’d take this opportunity to thank my parents for their  relentless

support. Special thanks to Md. Naimul Hassan for always being there for me. My

utmost gratitude to my friend Fardin Haque Tasnim for helping me with the paper.

Special thanks to my friends Muhtasim-An-Nafi, Sarfaraz Akhtar & Rashah Sadia for

all their support. My deepest appreciation to all the people and my coursemates who

have participated in the survey, as without their responses, my research would’ve been

baseless. And last but certainly not the least,massive thanks our honourable faculty

Nadra Islam Ma’am for making  this course a walk through the park. Words will fall

short to express my gratitude towards Ma’am. The pandemic has been rough on all of

us, but Ma’am made this journey possible through her impeccable teaching.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Hijras have been a taboo in the society since the beginning of time. Reigning from a
part of the gender spectrum which doesn’t make them fit for being called neither a
man nor a woman, hijras have their own gender identity. Due to not fitting in the
social construct of normal, they have been stripped of their rights from various aspects
of life. While some countries are making progress, Bangladesh is still far behind. My
encouragement behind choosing this issue as a research topic is wanting to shed light
into this matter. This research clearly shows how people in Bangladesh perceive the
third gender. While interacting with my respondents during the research process, I
came across the fact that the majority of people stand with this issue. Bringing about
awareness and starting a conversation about this issue were my biggest motivations
behind backing this topic. This research revealed that the youngsters in our country
are willing to see and bring a change, and they are supportive of other humans despite
the difference. While there were people who didn’t quite believe in the issue, most
stood by it. This study clearly thoroughly uncovered the feelings and perception of
people about hijras.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

TABLE OF CONTENT

INTRODUCTION...................................................................5
BACKGROUND.....................................................................7
RESEARCH QUESTIONS......................................................9
HYPOTHESIS.......................................................................10
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................11
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS.......................12
CONCLUSION......................................................................26
RECOMMENDATION.........................................................27
REFERENCES.......................................................................28

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

INTRODUCTION

The social construction of gender defines our roles and duties in society over the

course of our lives. Furthermore, social values, beliefs and practices control an

individual's gender identity and most societies strictly follow the binary male/female

that categorizes individuals as either 'male' or 'female.'Individuals are usually used to

defining their gender either as a man or as a woman, but the third category is those

who have no particular identity to choose between a man and a woman, in Bangladesh

they are popularly known as Hijras (Sema,2019). This double 'gender' construction

limits the 'non-binary' nature of gender by presenting two commonly chosen identities

of gender. Transgendered individuals are regarded in Bangladesh as though they are

not human beings and are treated harshly simply because they do not have the gender

identity accepted by society or the government.But the truth remains that they are

human beings as well, and they are part of this community too, and it is not possible to

disregard or erase their presence. In English, people who are not classified as women

or men and live in a different physical form are known as transgenders (Delliswararao

and Hangsing, 2018). Many people would say that it is an option because, by birth,

they are not transgender. It is not an option, since it has less to do with the sexuality of

the individual and more to do with the natural nature of it, such as their psyche, which

side of the gender continuum they are leaning towards regardless of the gender they

are assigned at birth.At a very early age, most transgender people acquire actions of

the opposite sex and they do not seem to be faced by it until they come from a certain

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

age when the awareness reaches them that they are not like the normal men/women.

Belonging to a distinct gender is not a curse, but a sexual orientation (NHRC, 2015).

In the 2030 Plan for Sustainable Development, which has been adopted by all UN

member states, there are seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). One aim

of the seventeen SDGs focuses on reducing inequality. (2016, UN). Bangladesh has

already reached quite a few Millennium Development Goal (MDG) goals and is now

on the path to achieving the SDG targets. The achievement of Bangladesh in

achieving the goals of SDGs would be tremendous if the Hijra community gets its

deserved right because one of the goals is gender equality. In Bangladesh, the hijras

live a life completely different from others.Despite the fact that on 11 November 2013

they were recognised as the third gender, they still have restrictions on community,

behavior and religious celebrations. By accepting the Hijras as the third gender, the

Bangladesh government made a landmark decision and this recognition guarantees

their rights, allowing them to recognise their gender as 'Hijra' in all government

documents, including passports and others. When personal or individual information

needs to be given, this landmark decision would allow them to define their gender as

'Hijra'.The cabinet secretary acknowledged that the community "was denied its rights

in different sectors, including education, health and housing, because it was a

marginal group" (Ahmed, 2017).  This research revolves around the issue of how

transgender people should be empowered and enjoying their empowerment as a

known Bangladeshi citizen in terms of social, political-legal and economic aspects.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Not only in this region, but all over the world, transgender is a case of mystery.

Transgender people in Bangladesh are generally referred to as 'hijra.' Via the Urdu-

Hindustani word 'leaving one's tribe,' the word 'hijra' comes from the Semitic Arabic

root (Alhawary & Benmamoun, 2005) and has been borrowed into Hindi. This Indian

use of the word 'hijra' has been translated into English as 'eunuch' or 'hermaphrodite'

which primarily implies male genitalia irregularity. They are essentially born with

male physiology; some of them are born with variations of male intersex (Nanda S. ,

1999). Hijras are considered to be "third gender," "third sex," or "neither men nor

women," in the language of their most well known ethnographer, Serena Nanda.

Hijras could read anything like this in a generic description: they are socio-biological

males who present women within a changing constellation of context, like. Hijras are

listed in Hinduism in two of the most celebrated Mahabharata and Ramayana epics.

There are no regulations in Islam that state that hijras should practice religion

differently from males and females. Hijras do not have a lower Muslim status than

Muslim men and women (Reddy, 2005).They have been living a separate life since

the very beginning of history, distinguished from ordinary people. In most cases, they

abandon their families or their families are thrown out to join other transgender

people, leaving behind all their belongings, rights, dreams and aspirations of living a

normal life. Privilege and even basic needs are stripped from the lives they inhabit.

However, Article 28(1) of the Bangladesh Constitution safeguards the rights of

individuals by specifying that their people are not discriminated against by the State
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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

on the basis of religion, ethnicity, caste or sex. However, transgender persons have

been excluded from the civil rights associated with citizenship, such as property

rights, inheritance, health and education and job opportunities, due to a lack of

legislation acknowledging their status. Furthermore, there is no hate crime law in

Bangladesh to deal with crimes committed by a suspect motivated by discrimination

of the victim's sexual orientation or gender identity. There is no anti-discriminatory

law in Bangladesh that expressly protects sexual minorities or legislation that

acknowledges the plurality of gender identities. This condition is nothing but a blatant

human rights abuse and therefore encourages injustice and deprivation. This study was

undertaken as a way of educating hijras about the ill-condition of their lives. But as it

seems, things are beginning to become favorable for them with each passing day, as

the government is taking steps slowly but steadily when it comes to inclusivity and

human rights.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

In my research paper, I would like to find out about the current situation of

transgenders in Bangladesh. I would also like to find out about people’s opinions on

transgenders and their rights. In doing so, my research will address the following

questions : 

1) What are people’s point of view on the "socially acceptable" gender spectrum?

2) Are people okay with identifying hijras as the third gender?

3) Do people think the third gender gets the equality they deserve?

4) How would people feel if transgenders are given chances to lead normal lives?

5) How much freedom transgender people have in undertaking different activities that

they want?

6) What further steps can be taken to be more inclusive of the transgender community

in various aspects of life such as social,political, etc.?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

HYPOTHESIS

The generation we have today is a pretty interesting one as the young or young adult

people are willing to see and bring about a change. People these days are more

compassionate than ever towards issues such as humanity, mental health, equality and

acceptance. With such a surge in people wanting good for other people, I’m assuming

that with my research, I’ll find out that the majority of the respondents will agree to

the fact that transgenders are normal people and they deserve all the rights that a

normal human should have. I’m expecting to get more responses which are in favour

of the topic compared to fewer ones which are against it. And since the issue is

humanitarian, people will hopefully feel compassionate towards transgenders and will

agree that they deserve to live their lives in normal circumstances like normal people

do.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

My primary research has been conducted via an online questionnaire using Google

Forms on a target group of 70 people. The respondents were mostly from North South

University, but others such as O/A Levels students were also part of the demographic.

My survey consisted of a variety of questions which were related to the theme of the

research. There were two parts to the questionnaire : personal information &

questions. All of my questions were multiple choice questions. The primary purpose

of my survey was to find out the opinions of my respondents regarding Hijras and

their rights.

When it comes to the secondary research, I resorted to various other sources mostly

belonging to the web. Online articles, journals, newspaper sites, e-books, and other

web-published materials provided me with necessary information which aided me on

my research.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

Since there is a global pandemic out there right now, conducting an offline survey was

not possible, so for my data collection process, I resorted to “Google Forms” as my

means of surveying. My survey included a total of 70 respondents and its main

purpose was to get to know about people’s opinions on Hijras and their rights.

The survey questionnaires are discussed below: the first three being demographical

questions, while the rest are the actual queries related to my theme.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

Question 1: What is your age?

The bar chart above is a summarization of the age groups of the people who took part

in my survey. The number of respondents is indicated by the X-axis, whereas the age

group is represented by the Y-axis.

Out of the 70 people who took part in my online survey, 35 belonged to the age group

of 17-21 years, the young millennials. While the other 35 of the respondents were

young-adults aged from 22-26 years old. Since it was an online survey and the web
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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

and social media is a platform mostly consumed by youngsters, it is pretty obvious

that all of the respondents to my questionnaire belong to a relatively younger age

group in comparison to middle-aged or aged individuals.

Question 2: What is your gender?

The bar chart above is a summarization of the gender identities of the people who took

part in the survey. The chosen gender of respondents is indicated by the X-axis,

whereas the number of respondents is represented by the Y-axis.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

Since my research does revolve around Hijras, I added another option “Transgender”

to the question, but sadly, found no reciprocators. However, as represented in the

chart, out of the 70 people, my survey had 24 female and 46 male partakers.

Question 3: What is your occupation?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

The bar chart above is a summarization of the occupation of the people who

responded to the survey. The number of respondents is indicated by the X-axis,

whereas the occupations are represented by the Y-axis.

Of the 70 individuals who took part, a staggering 39 were undergraduates, 26 were

either school or college students, 3 were employed while only 2 were graduates. The

online survey generated responses mostly from students of various levels.

Question 4: What do you feel about hijras?

The very first question that that came to me regarding the topic. The reason behind
asking this question was to know how the respondents perceive Hijras.

1.5%

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

As seen in the pie chart above, majority of the respondents, i.e. 71.4% of the total, find

Hijras to be real, normal people like the very next person. I assume that they think of

them as humans first, and Hijras later.

The second largest percentage, 20% of the partakers feel that Hijras are normal

people, but they don’t like being around them. Maybe this is due to the social stigma

attached to Hijras, which presumes that Hijras are money-seekers and brash beings.

7.1% of the respondents have no opinions regarding their perception towards Hijras.

While the majority had a positive perception, only 1.5% of the people claimed to not

be okay with hijras. As I stated earlier, maybe this is due to the social stigma

revolving around Hijras, or most likely they have a phobia of sorts.

Question 5: Are you okay identifying hijras as the third gender?

Through this question, I wanted to know about people’s opinions about the gender
identity of Hijras - whether they perceive a gender aside from the norms
(male/female) as an option or not.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

As illustrated in the pie chart above, 75.7% of the respondents are okay with
identifying hijras as the third gender, so there is a sign of normalcy there.

The next largest proportion of people, 11.4%, are not sure whether to identify hijras as
third gender or not. That is probably because a lot of people don’t have a clear idea
regarding the actual sexual orientation of hijras.

Surprisingly, 7.1% of the respondents are not okay with hijras being identified as the
third gender, maybe they aren’t quite open to approving a third gender and believe
that there are only two genders.

Lastly, 5.7% of the partakers chose “No Opinion” as their option, indicating that
they’re neutral about this aspect.
Question 6: What do you feel about hijras getting equal rights as men and
women in every aspect of life - social, economic, political, legal, etc .?

The purpose of this question was to get an idea of how individuals would react to
hijras getting equal rights as them in various aspects of life.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

In the bar chart above, the X-axis represents the opinions of people on this issue and
the Y-axis represents the number of respondents.
A staggering 95.7% of the partakers believe that yes, hijras deserve this basic human
right just like every other person in Bangladesh and the world.

On the other hand, only 2.9% of the respondents claim that hijras should not have
equal basic human rights.

Only 1.4% remained unopinionated on this question.

Question 7: Are you affected by LBGTQ representation in movies, music &

pop culture?

The reason behind asking this question is to understand how my respondents react to
LGBTQ characters or public figures in movies and music and other platforms.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

This question by far generated the most diverse opinions as 37.1% of the respondents
find the representation positive and feel good about the content.
On a similar note, 17.1% people feel that it is necessary and it strikes a conversation to
the masses, that these minor groups are there and they exist and their representation is
essential.

32.9% of the people are unfazed by the references and passed it on as having no
opinions about it, presumably because it is a taboo topic.

On the contrary, only 5.7% of the partakers seemed to not enjoy the minority group
being publicized in pop culture. And following a similar pattern, only 7.1% of the
reciprocators find the LGBTQ representation unnecessary. I presume they have a
negative point of view towards the marginalized community due to the social,
religious and cultural stigma that states that people from the LGBTQ community
aren’t normal.

Question 8: What are your thoughts on education when it comes to hijras?

Education is a basic human right and through this question, I wanted to find out
whether my respondents think that hijras should have this right or not.

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

As seen in the chart above, 87.1% of the people have a positive opinion regarding the
question as they believe that like every other citizen, hijras also deserve good
education for a good life and livelihood.

While another 8.6% also believe that hijras should have access to education, they
prefer hijras to have separate dedicated schools. I assume they think this would be
better either due to the fact that hijras would be the target of bullying in regular
schools, or it is probably because they feel other students wouldn’t feel comfortable
around hijras.

2.9% people preferred to have a neutral opinion on the subject.

While only the remaining 1.4% prefer that education is not for hijras. I assume their
answer is solely based on transphobia and lack of normalcy in the perception towards
the marginalized community.
Question 9: How would you feel if your colleague at your job is a hijra?

This question’s sole purpose was to obtain the information that whether the survey
partakers would perceive a well-employed hijra with a positive point of view or not.

21 2(2.8%)
 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

As per the results in the pie chart above,58.6% of the people would feel happy for the
hijra colleague, as they’re getting equal opportunities in the job sector.

Followed by that, 20% of the reciprocators would feel neutral about it, I assume they
chose this response because to them it is normal for any person to work and have a job
regardless of their gender identity.

A very close 18.6% of the respondents would feel indifferent as long as they’re not
directly or indirectly affected by the colleague.

While the remaining 2.8% of the respondents wouldn’t want to sit beside a hijra
colleague, assuming the reason behind that is phobia.

Question 10: Would you feel safe living under the leadership of a hijra
leader/politician?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

The reason behind including this hypothetical question is to get to know about my
respondents’ views on hijras getting their rights on the political scene of the nation.

For this question, a massive chunk or 82.9% of the respondents collectively agree to
the fact that the gender of a political body doesn’t matter as long as they are doing
their job well in maintaining political stability. It gave me an idea that most people
wouldn’t mind having a third gendered nation leader, which in itself, is a big
progression.

This assumption is further supported by another 10% of respondents clearly stating

that they wouldn’t find anything wrong and would feel safe and comfortable living
under the leadership of a hijra politician.

On the contrary, 7.1% of the individuals have shown disapproval to this topic as they
said they wouldn’t feel safe or comfortable being led by a person of third gender.
Question 11: Should hijras be allowed to get married in Bangladesh?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

The reason behind including this question is to get to know about my respondents’
views on hijras getting their rights on the social and familial aspect of life.

As seen above in the pie chart, this question has generated polarized opinions. While
34.3% people feel like hijras should have access to this humane act of loving and
having a legally accepted partner, another 34.3% of respondents also seem to have no
issue regarding this matter as long as the marriage is consensual from both parties.

Bringing in a contrast, about 27.1% of the people refrained from having an opinion
and have stayed indifferent to this. And lastly, only 4.3% of the people feel that a hijra
marriage shouldn’t be allowed to get married in Bangladesh since it goes against our
culture according to them. This came as a surprise to me since I expected little to no
non-positive responses for this query, as having a partner and loved one is a basic
human right that everybody deserves to have, regardless of their gender-based
preferences.

Question 12: Will you be okay with a hijra teacher teaching children at
school?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

My motive behind including this question is to get to know about my respondents’

views on hijras getting their rights on the professional aspect of life.

75.7% of the respondents believe that the gender of a teacher doesn’t matter at all as
long as children are being taught right, as per the bar chart above. On a similar note,
further 20% of reciprocators also have given a positive nod to this query.

Contrarily, 2.9% respondents feel hesitant about hijras teaching in schools, fearing
that children might get influenced by them. A further 1.4% showed their disapproval
by stating that they are not okay with a third-gendered person teaching children in
schools.

Question 13: Would you be able to befriend a hijra?

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

For my very last question, I wanted to raise a conversation. Friendship is a basic

aspect in life and I wanted to know if my respondents, whether or not they agree for
hijras to have their rights or not, whether they see them as normal people or not,
would be able to befriend them.

This question, as I anticipated, generated the most diverse responses.

As seen in the pie chart, 51.4% of the repliers stated that for them, gender is not and
should not be a determinant when making friends. A further 20% have solidified their
opinion by clearly sating that yes, they would be able to befriend a hijra.

17.1% of the respondents have maintained hesitance by stating that they might be able
to befriend hijras, but they aren’t sure whether they’d do it or not.

On the contrary, 11.4% people have stuck with the option that they wouldn’t be able
to befriend aa hijra at all. Given how stigmatized and neglected hijras and minorities
are in Bangladesh, I assume they would revolt if friendship with a third gendered
individual is approached.

CONCLUSION
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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

To summarize, I can say that the data I collected matches with my hypothesis. As I
stated in the hypothesis that I feel most people will be supportive, the data I received
from my questionnaire reflects this statement correctly as the majority have shown
approval towards the subject matter, whereas only a minority have disregarded it.
Having a progressive thought process, most of the younger generation of Bangladesh
agree that hijras are in fact normal people and they are okay with hijras receiving
equal rights as men and women in every aspect of life, whereas there was a small
portion who think otherwise. All things considered, it might be safe to say that this
path to acceptance might be a very long road ahead, but the road is there, it exists and
somehow, that’s what matters the most.

This research has some limitations. The survey was done only online because of the
pandemic. Also, because of limited time, there might be some aspects of research that
could not be focused on.

RECOMMENDATION
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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

From the data collected in my research, it is evident that despite all the progress in
minds and acceptance in the hearts of most of the youngsters in Bangladesh, there are
still many people who still have their hesitations and boundaries. Therefore, I would
recommend creating awareness about the fact that how hijras are being treated is
unethical and they deserve basic human rights and a normal life. I would also
recommend normalizing having third-gendered children being admitted to schools so
they can have a better life. Employers from all sectors should start considering hijra
applicants on the basis of their merit instead of rejecting them based on their gender.
Also, lastly, I would recommend people to come out of this bubble and start thinking
about these people from a human point of view. Tradition has ruled for far too long,
its time humanity wins this battle, one step at a time.

REFERENCES
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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

Ahmed, S. (2015). Recognition of ‘Hijra’ as Third Gender in Bangladesh. Shale

Ahmed. Retrieved December 25, 2020 from https://www.csbronline.org/wp-

content/uploads/2016/08/ShaleAhmed_HjraRights_CSBR-

ILGAAsia2015.pdf

Alhawary, M. T., & Benmamoun, E. (2005). Hijra | Cultural Anthropology. Retrieved

December 25, 2020 from Courses.Lumenlearning.Com.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/hijra/#:

%7E:text=The%20word%20%E2%80%9Chijra%E2%80%9D%20is

%20an,has%20been%20borrowed%20into%20Hindi.

Konduru, D., & Hangsing, C. (2018, January 20). Socio–Cultural Exclusion and

Inclusion of Trans-genders in India | International Journal of Social

Sciences and Management. Retrieved December 25, 2020 from Nepjol.Info.

https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/IJSSM/article/view/18147

Nanda, S. (1999). Neither Man nor Woman Hijras of India, 2ND EDITION (Later

Printing ed.). Wadsworth. Retrieved December 25, 2020 from

https://petervas.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/serena_nanda.pdf

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 The Rights of Hijras in Bangladesh

NHRC. (2015). “Third gender is not a word; it is a Gender” | Bandhu Social Welfare

Society. Retrieved December 25, 2020 from Bandhu-Bd.Org.

https://www.bandhu-bd.org/third-gender-is-not-a-word-it-is-a-gender/

UN. (2016). THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development. Retrieved December 25,

2020 From Sdgs.Un.Org.

https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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