Transgender issues to be discussed at health meet

Issues faced by transgenders like HIV/AIDS and human rights violations would be among the topics to be discussed at a high-level meeting to be held here from Dec 5.

The meeting, being organised by the department of AIDS control of the health ministry, will also focus on developing a roadmap for scaling up transgender interventions.

Panelists at the meeting will include senior representatives from the social justice ministry, planning commission, UN and community representatives, an official release said here Tuesday.

Transgenders and hijras have been disproportionately affected by HIV since the onset of the epidemic, according to several findings.

In addition to this, there is a social stigma associated with this community.

Recognising transgender population as a particularly vulnerable community, the department of AIDS control has set up interventions specific to their needs, the release said.