Shrouq Tariq
Nisha Rao had to go through a lot of obstacles to get to where she is today. Running away from home at 18, she had to beg on the streets of Karachi for years, to survive and earn a living. She saved up for her evening tuition fee and books from whatever she earned. Her struggle and hard work paid off and she eventually gained her law degree. She then joined the Bar association as a practicing lawyer but this was just the beginning of her dream to become the first trans-female judge in Pakistan. As Pakistan’s first transgender lawyer, she has carved a path of success not only for herself but for many others like her.
In Pakistan, unfortunately, transgenders are treated as outcasts. A 2017 census counted 10,418 transgender people out of 207 million in the country, but the rights based group Charity Trans Action Pakistan estimates there are at least 500,000.
For most of them the means of earning include begging, dancing at weddings and sex work but this means putting their lives at risk. Transgenders are often an easy target for physical and sexual violence and hardly ever receive justice.
Earlier, in 2018, Pakistan’s parliament voted to recognize transgender as equal citizens and passed a law to protect them from discrimination and any type of violence. Though in reality, not much has changed, yet the legislation gives them a certain protection. Discriminatory attitude and prejudice is still what they face in their daily lives.
But Rao refuses to let such experiences stand in her way Instead, she takes up such cases She has so far challenged 50 cases and is working with a non-governmental organization that is fighting for transgender rights.
Despite progress in Pakistan, there remain many challenges for the transgender community but Nisha Rao says she will fight them case by case, as a lawyer and perhaps one day as a judge.
Shrouq Tariq is the Research Analyst and writer at Matrix Media. Her work has been published in number of national and international newspapers . She’s also a member of the Matrix Media editorial board. She is currently completing her MPhil in Defense and Strategic Studies from Quaid-i-Azam university. She tweets at @shrouqtariq
