BIHR and JusticeMakers Bangladesh urge to immediate arrest of those accused culprits who were involved in physical torture of a Trans woman and her mother for extortion in Dhaka.

Bangladeshi human rights organizations Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) and JusticeMakers Bangladesh have expressed deep concern over the incident of physically assault, snatching of gold ornaments, intimidating and threatening to close the parlor and leave the area within seven days to Monika Akhtar Moni (28), a trans woman and owners of Star World Beauty Parlor in Noorerchala bazar under Bhatara police station in Dhaka and her mother Rubina Khatun demanding extortion.

BIHR and Justice Makers Bangladesh have demanded that all the criminals involved in the incident should be identified and arrested promptly and exemplary punishment should be given to those responsible by filing a case against them regarding the incident and providing overall security to the victim trans woman and other members of her family.

Victim Trans woman Moni told to BIHR and Justicemakers Bangladesh Secretary General and prominent lawyer and gay rights activist Advocate Shahanur Islam on mobile phone that on Monday, October 10, 2022, the victim transg women organized a birthday function at a community center, where she exchanged garlands with her boyfriend in front of the invited guests.

Knowing this, on 11th October, Tuesday, 30 to 40 hijras led by Pinki Hijra came to her Star World Beauty Parlier and demanded 10,000 bdt as extortion.The victimized transgender woman paid them four thousand taka.

On Wednesday, October 12, at around 3 pm, 30 to 40 hijras led by Pinki Hijra once again came to her business establishment and attacked her simultaneously, asking to know why she married another boy as she is a boy. The accused hijras took her outside the parlor by her hair, stripped her completely naked, slapped her all over her body, and left her with swollen and bloody wounds all over her body.

When the victim's mother tried to save her, she was also beaten and injured by the accused hijras. At that time, the accused hijras snatched the gold chain worn on the neck, gold bangle worn on the hand, gold pendant worn on the ear and diamond ring on the fingers of the victim. The accused hijras recorded the entire incident on mobile phones. Later they threatened to kill her and her family members, if she report to the police station about the incident and she did not left the place closing down her business within seven days.

BIHR and JusticeMakers Bangladesh Secretary General and eminent lawyer and gay rights activist Advocate Shahanur Islam expressed strong protest and anger over the extortion, physical torture, nude video recording, warning to shut down the business within seven days and threats of death for failing to leave the area to the Trans woman.

Advocate Shahanur Islam believes that the mentioned incident is not an isolated incident in Bangladesh, rather it is only a small part of the ongoing human rights violations like discrimination, killing, injury, humiliation against people of the LGBT community, including transgender women, across the country.

Advocate Shahanur Islam also opined that although Bangladesh government has taken some social rehabilitation initiatives by recognizing Hijras as the third gender, but those are not effective enough as Hijras have been involved in criminal activities at various times.

Moreover, due to family, social and state unacceptability and intolerance, the members of the Hijra community are constantly subjected to various human rights violations including discrimination, and because of their unhealthy mental development, they are involved in various criminal activities such as extortion, drug trade, smuggling, advocate Shahanur Islam also thinks.

Finally, Advocate Shahanur Islam demanded constitutional recognition of the LGBT community by repealing Section 377 of the Penal Code and enacting a law to protect members of the LGBT community immediately.