Karnataka cabinet clears State Transgender Policy

It aims to create awareness about the community in educational institutions, reach out to families through anganwadi workers and much more

The Karnataka cabinet has cleared the State Policy for Transgenders, 2017 with an aim of bringing the community into the mainstream and safeguarding them from exploitation.

The policy had been drafted in compliance with a Supreme Court order, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters here after a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

"They face insecurity, discrimination, insults, anxiety, suicidal tendencies. Therefore, this policy aims at bringing them into the mainstream of society and provide them with a secured life," he said.

The different categories of transgenders mentioned in the policy include "jogappa, jijra, female to male, male to female, inter-sex, kothis, jogtas, shivashakti and aravanis".

The policy aims to create awareness about the transgender community in all educational institutions of the state, reach out to family members through anganwadi workers to sensitise them about trans-children, bring into place a monitoring committee or cell at educational institutions to address issues of discrimination, sexual abuse and violence against transgenders.

It also moots defining the indicators for a friendly policy, which goes beyond non-discrimination, and to include the transgender community in the 'Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan', Right to Education and similar efforts to promote literacy.

Jayachandra, quoting from the document, said, "All levels of formal education system should have reservation for transgender students.