Kerala’s gender-sensitive initiatives and their ripple effects — Part 2
This southern state seems to be everywhere, be it education, healthcare, or even technology. Whether it is the first state to house a dowry-free zone in the village of Nilambur or the first ‘yoga village’ in Kunnamthanam, Kerala seems to be enjoying its avant-garde status in the country. This is also one of the only places wherein attitudes seem to be sensitive and progressive towards the rights of non-binary genders and sexual minorities.
Transgender Policy
In fact, Kerala is relatively very progressive when it comes to transgender policies. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling to affirm the transgender community’s freedom from discrimination and right to equality in 2014, Kerala became the first state to introduce a transgender policy in 2015. The ‘State Policy for Transgenders in Kerala 2015’ provisions to protect the community by providing equal access to social and economic resources, protecting the right to equal treatment under the law, the right to life, liberty and justice, and the right to non-discrimination based on sex. The article also “values privacy, self-identity, autonomy and personal integrity as fundamental rights… and stresses that the state is bound to protect and recognize these rights.” Recognition of a transgender person’s identity is vital in their normalization as well as acceptance in society. Thus valuing the identity as a fundamental right, is the correct way forward to ensure non-discrimination.
The transgender policy has not only allowed many inclusive and progressive initiatives for transgenders in the state, but also sets a great example for other states to follow:
1) In 2016, the Kerala State Government introduced free sex reassignment surgery in government hospitals across the state, allocating budget for the same. Government colleges in Kerala have laid out plans to have free-of-cost clinics opened exclusively for the transgender community, beginning at the Kottayam Medical College.
2) The Northern district Kannur, is one of the few states with a vocal transgender community which has conducted many pride parades over the last decade.
3) Kerala has pioneered many firsts for the transgender community in India including holding a beauty pageant for trans-women, holding a state-level sports meet and casting Anjali Ameer (a trans woman model) as a lead role in the upcoming Tamil-Malayalam bilingual film, Peranbu.
4) The Kochi metro employed 23 transgenders, all on contract through Kudumbashree, in different categories from ticket billing, customer-service to sanitation. Although some of them faced hiccups such as difficulties, finding accommodation and facing hostile/condescending behavior from co-workers, most of them are now well-adjusted in their jobs. In an interview with yourstory.com, Karthika, an MSc. Biochemistry graduate, said “we are not competing with the other two genders, we are learning from them” and that she is “in charge of her own gender identity”. Her attitude reflects the diminishing misconception that transgender people are ‘abnormal’ — a problem the Kochi Metro aimed to tackle with their employment of transgender people. Kochi Metro’s transgender employees, however, face a host of unprecedented problems such as the lack of gender-specific washrooms. Although the government initiatives are baby steps in the right direction, for many of them, a struggle for a life of dignity persists.
5) India’s first exclusive school for transgenders, Sahaj International, opened in December 2016 in Kochi. In addition to appearing in grade 10 and 12 board exams, the school will place focus on soft skill training, vocational training, personality development, organic farming and stitching among other all-round development skills. The district collector Muhammad Y. Safeerulla remarked that “such initiatives will help end discrimination and ensure gender justice and that the administration will extend all support for the welfare of the transgenders”.
In a bid to make it more effective and up-to-date, The Department of Social Justice is to conduct a mid-term evaluation to look into the policy implementation and its results in late 2018.
The road ahead
With many gender-sensitive projects in the pipeline, Kerala has plenty of plans to empower women and the transgender community in the upcoming years.
The Government of Kerala’s department of Social Justice plans on increasing government capacity and efficiency in the Gender Park, a flagship initiative which “provides need-based capacity building and training to different groups, such as students, government officials and professionals, through specialized training modules on gender sensitivity, inclusion and awareness”. As it is uniquely positioned to see through that recommendations are implemented by the government, the Gender Park has launched plans to commence off-campus activities focusing on the welfare of women and transgenders. There are also ideas to increase the size and capabilities of the research division in the International Institute for Gender and Development (IIGD) to “engage in solution-based knowledge management on different aspects of gender, development and governance.”
What begun as a small fleet of 45 taxis across three cities (25 in Trivandrum, 15 in Kochi and 5 in Kozhikode), the She Taxi project will expand to Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam and Thrissur soon. Though it started as an initiative by the Gender Park, the project has been handed over to the Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation (KSWDC). Future plans include expanding the database for Emergency Response Systems, re-installing safety features in the vehicle and developing an app to facilitate booking trips.
The state capital, Trivandrum will soon have a model stretch “she-coridoor”, wherein women can enjoy ‘safety and women-friendliness’ to the maximum. This road stretch will offer seating facilities, CCTV cameras, ‘she-toilets’, sanitary napkin vending machines, FM radio stations and other such beneficial facilities for women. Deputy mayor Rakhi Ravikumar stated that “The objective of the project is to turn the state capital a model women-friendly city, giving priority to their safety. Women should feel free and safe in our city”. Expected to finish construction and be open to the public by the end of the year, Rakhi mentioned that 2 crore rupees had been allocated for the same. The She-Coridoor stretch would also be a tribute to the valuable contributions made by women, featuring paintings and graphics of them from various fields including politics, arts, cinema, social activism etc…
Undoubtedly, Kerala is miles ahead of other Indian states in terms of gender-sensitive policies and thought processes. Initiatives and projects backed by governmental support are not only useful in changing the mindsets of people but also very important in paving the way to a gender equal society. It’s time that other states take note and up their game too.
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