Kerala opens up country’s 1st ‘Transgender Cell’ to ensure justice and effective implementation of basic needs
Thiruvananthapuram, February 21: Another step to empower transgenders, Kerala constitutes ‘Transgender Cell’ in order to help in functioning transgender justice system. Kerala becomes India’s 1st state to take this step. The cell has come up taking into the recurring incidences of abusive behaviour of people and discrimination around society and incidences of assault.
Kerala has opened up the ‘Transgender Cell’ in its capital and Syama S Prabha, a transgender person from Thiruvananthapuram, has become the cell's first state project officer. The newly formed cell will function from Vikas Bhawan in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram.
Formed to help and support the functioning of state transgender justice board and district transgender justice committees, the cell has been given four officers to start with. Laya Maria Jason from Kottayam and Shruti Sithara from Ernakulam will serve as project assistants.
R. Dev, a transgender man from Pathanamthitta, has been appointed as an office assistant, among others, adds the report.
"We will support the activities of the board and committees so that the basic needs of transgender persons, including homes and employment, are addressed. We will also oversee timely and effective utilization of funds earmarked for transgender persons”, said Syama.
When the state had unveiled, in a first of its kind, the transgender policy in 2015, it had spoken clearly of a Gender Cell. The idea was then formulated to implement all the instructions and measures taken by the Transgender Boards.
“These include implementing measures or instructions by the TG board and issuing gender identity certificate to a TG person based on the recommendation of the district-level committee”, says Syama.