Participants of the consultative meeting held in Dimapur on September 23.
Dimapur, September 24 (MExN): A consultative meeting to discuss ‘the needs of gender non-conforming and transgender children and how the services can be made more inclusive to address their needs’ was held in Dimapur on September 23.
It was jointly organised by District Child Protection Unit, Dimapur (DCPU) and other NGOs, stated a press release issue by Avika Zhimomi, DCPO, Dimapur. “This is in line with the Supreme Court’s NALSA judgment on Transgender Rights (2014) and the government of India’s Transgender persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 which provides scopes and provisions for legal recognition of the self-identified gender identity of transgender persons,” the release stated.
With support from SAATHII, a total of 10 transgender persons have been issued with transgender identity cards by the Dimapur District Administration with reference to Transgender Act, it was also revealed.
The consultative meeting was chaired by Esther Sumi Po (Ic), and facilitate by Biswa Bhusan Pattanayak, Assistant Director of SAATHII along with Avika Zhimomi, District Child Protection Officer.
Around 40 representatives from the DCPU, Childcare Institutions, Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile justice Board, Child helpline and representatives from the transgender community attended the meeting
The participants reflected that “it is time to accept and respect gender diversity and renew our pledge to change social norms that deny us our rights because of who we are. The oppression rooted in binary gender norms that begin in our homes continues in various institutions, including education, healthcare settings, and employment and public places. It needs more attention from civil society organisations.”
