“I’m a Boy that was born as a Girl,

and has to prove myself every day

that I am man enough for the world”

The above quote isn’t just a word together; it has a lot of pain behind it, an inspiration, and a message for all of us.

In a country where there is a lot of social injustice exists, people are assessed by their appearances. Among us, there is one group that is the worst treated and the most ignorant of all. The discrimination against them is still in abundance. But one person from that community, known as the ‘third gender’ took a stand and became an inspiration.

In this part of our Unsung Heroes series, I’m going to talk about a fearless, enthusiastic, optimistic human being named ‘Joyita Mondal‘. Born in a Hindu family in Kolkata, West Bengal.  Joyita was named ‘Joyonto’ (a male) initially. However, after a while, when she got to know about her identity as a transgender, she hid it from our society, but eventually came out against all the odds.

According to the 2011 census, there are around 5 million transgender people in India, most of whom are victimised by society. People judged them as sex workers and only called them in the auspicious events to congratulate and give blessings.

But no one ever wants to know their tragic stories and what they are going through with all the nuisance and hatred.

Whereas Joyita Mondal chooses her own way to be a symbol of inspiration. Let us unfold her story from school dropout to India’s First Transgender Judge.

Joyita Mondal’s Early Life And Discrimination

Joyita Mondal’s life is no less than a miserable life, with lots of discrimination, hate, failure, perhaps she was strong enough to never let her morale down. At the age of 10, she found her interest in wearing clothes like girls, playing with dolls, and every girly thing.

However, she was not supposed to do that because she was born a boy. And her family was not expecting that opposite behaviour from her side. She revealed, “I would dress as a girl when I went outside and change before the house I returned”.

Her anguish can be examined by knowing that she dropped out of school after the 10th class because she was unable to conform to the gender norms imposed on her. She was bullied all the time because of her appearance.

Often time she kept hiding her identity and her liking for girly things from society.

Recalling the tough time, she said, “I didn’t tell my family that I was unable to take verbal bullying by other boys in my school. I just told my mother that I had got a job in Dinajpur, and I wanted to go there. I told her that I would come back in two months if things didn’t work out, and she consented”.

However, she lied and came to Islampur in the Uttar Dinajpur district and never went back. Her problems hadn’t halted yet, she was suffering from basic needs like food, shelter & health.

Nobody there was ready to give her a room in the hotel because of the typical stereotypes, and also prohibited her from entering the restaurants even after she was ready to pay.

Doctors refused to give her proper treatment because she was from another group. Police refused to file a complaint and insulted her in the police station, calling her undisciplined and dishonest. 

All these things shattered her from inside, but her dreams were bigger than these hurdles. Afterwards, she decided to start a new journey and fight against the social injustice that prevails for these people.

From School Dropout To India’s First Transgender Judge

When approximately every hotel refused to give her a hotel room, she made the nearest bus stop a shelter. She used to sleep at night there and sometimes also begged on the streets for food.

Later, she decided to join Kinnar Samaj (a group of trans people), where she started to go to parties and big events to earn money. In India, people treat their arrival and blessings as good luck, but never pay respect to them. The discrimination and ignorance still threaten the survival and livelihoods of the community.

Moreover, many transgender people go to a marriage function or birth anniversaries to give blessings for getting some money in return. The same became the daily schedule for Joyita, but her goal was different.

She decided to complete her education first, which she chose to take her education through correspondence. Because the earlier hate and mockery against her by her classmates had shattered her badly. She got herself a Law degree.

But that was not enough to break the stereotypical thinking of the society. She decided to work for the welfare of people, especially for the community to which she belongs.

She later started an organisation with her local transgender friend’s name, Dinajpur Noton Alo Society, on January 10, 2010, which helped thousands of people in the district.

Over the seven years after the inception of Dinajpur Noton Alo society (also known as Dinajpur New Light), it has grown to help over 2000 transgender people in the region. After the commendable success of her organisation, her confidence was boosted to new heights, and she decided to expand her social work further.

In an interview, she said, “A year after registration in 2011, I got my first big break in a foreign project for legal aid to transgender of the region in 2012. I gave legal aid to 200 transgender people during that project, and was appreciated by the government. Since then, we built an old-age shelter in 2015 and got voter ID cards made for transgender people in two brothels in Islampur”.

It’s amazing to know that Joyita Mondal is the first transgender person to get a voter ID card in her district. Also, she is the first transgender person to vote in the elections from her district.

Legal Right To Transgender In India Gave Joyita Mondal A New Hope

After having a legal right to trans people in India, many transgender people got a new hope to achieve their dreams. They can now plan their life according to themselves, and they can now move freely. I remember that one famous quote from MANABI BANDYOPADHYAY that sheds light on the above revolution:

“Be Yourself, The World Will Adjust”

Manabi BAndyopadhyay

The Transgender Person (Protection Of Right) Act, 2019 (Transgender Person Act) seeks to recognise the identity of a transgender person and prohibit discrimination in, inter alia, the fields of education, employment, healthcare, holding or disposing of property, holding public or private office and access to and use of public services and benefits.

In light of the above law, the Indian government decided to appoint Joyita Mondal as the First Transgender Judge of Islampur Lok Adalat (Civil Court) in July 2017.

It’s exciting that earlier she used to spend restless bedtimes in the bus stand, and now she is the judge of the Lok Adalat, which is just 10 minutes away from that same bus stand.

However, Joyita’s motive is much bigger than being a Justice; she wants to break the stereotypical mentality of society towards transgender people. She said, “A handful of us becoming judges, principals won’t bring a change. Still, Transgenders are working as sex workers and begging on trains, individual success means nothing”.

Also read: The Dark Side of Sex Workers’ Lives

Her dream is to provide education to other transgender individuals and urge the government to appoint them at least as a group D staff, where physical labour is involved. She said, “Even if 2-3% of transgender people in Islampur get dignified jobs, I would consider my appointment as beneficial for my community. They would not have to work as sex Workers for 200-300 Rs and begging on a train or streets”.

Heroes like Joyita Mondal not only inspire us but also give a light of hope to the vulnerable section of India, who have been fighting for their rights for decades. Not only Joyita Mondal but also many transgender also work for their community. Like Manabi Bandyopadhyay, the first transgender Ph.D. professor of India. Padmini Prakash, the first Tamil TV news anchor. Kalki Subramaniam, an International speaker, trans activist, and many more.

But still, society won’t recognise the crucial part they’re playing, still, some stereotypical thinking keeps them ignorant and vulnerable. Why transgender is still a punishment?

Hope everyone will teach their child, they’re not different, they are as human as us.

Source:

• Meet the First Transgender judge of India– Womensenews.org
• From sleeping in bus stand to first transgender Judge– Drilers.com

Do let us know about the Unsung heroes you know that are doing or did tremendous work for the betterment of society. We’ll be glad to do more research about them and will write a tribute dedicated to them.

The post First Transgender Judge Of India – Joyita Mondal appeared first on Aspiring Blog.

I was reading about the difficulties people faced during lockdown in 2020. But there was one profession that was less discussed and had no media coverage or any help from the government even after millions of sex workers live with us. Some of them are under the profession with their consent, but it paints a sad picture for the rest (actually the majority of them) who are forced to do and have been dragged into this.

It made me think about how this industry works. And I found the dark side of the sex worker’s life. The reality was really heart-rending. I’ve watched previous documentaries and read interviews that I would like to share with you. But before that here are some basic information about sex workers.

Who are Sex Workers?

Any person who provides sex as a service for some amount in return to earn a livelihood. It can be done out of his/her choice but most of the time they are being dragged into this vicious circle. Poverty has some really dark faces. It is just like daily work in an office but here they work in hotels and brothels.

They have a hard life. They work at a very low wage and are exploited several times. I was reading an interview where one sex worker said, “Every time a new girl is brought in and she tries to escape, I don’t think people outside the world realize that there isn’t an escape route for us”.

What Makes Them a Sex Worker?

One who visits the place might wonder that every sex worker who works here is by their choice. But it is hard to believe that 60% to 70% of sex workers in India and around the world have never wanted to do so. They are being brought into this by the people themselves who saw an opportunity to make money out of their poverty.

How Sex Workers Are Being Dragged Into This Profession?

Through Human trafficking

Every year thousands of women and girls fall into the hands of traffickers. They trade them in the world, some turn out to be forced labour, and the rest under prostitution. It paints a sad picture that 75% of trafficked women adopt the practice of prostitution which they never wanted to. United Nations Office on Drug and Crime Report estimates that 79% of women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. 18% for forced labour, 3% for other forms of exploitation. And 50 % of all Trafficked victims are minors (below 18).

There is an organization SNEHALAYA which has done and is doing immense work for rescuing girls from sex trafficking. They empower women and provide them a better life, and education, and make them proficient.

Poverty

It is the only source of money left with them because most of them are illiterate belong to poor families and don’t have any other option. It seems green from the outside. So, many women are even forced by their husbands, and the threat of killing by pimps compelled them for the job unwillingly.

They have to raise their children, send them to school, fulfilling basic amenities, therefore they knowingly get them trapped into this vicious circle of prostitution. There are also high-end sex workers who work beneath the mask, there are some places on the Earth where the cost of pleasure is less than buying a pizza. Some of them are Daulatdia in Bangladesh, GB Road in India, and many others.

Early Marriage and domestic clashes

It is also a major cause for becoming a prostitute, according to them they belong to a poor family mostly from rural areas, and stereotypical thinking of parents drags them into the swamp. Their alcoholic husband assaulted and forcefully made fall them into the industry.

How is the life Of Sex Workers Outside The Brothels?

In today’s society, people are often judged by their appearances, jobs, profiles, and standards and if we talk about sex workers the picture is much more disturbing. They have to face social hate, unwanted pregnancy, social abuse, ovarian issues, HIV/AIDS, and Drug addiction.

Their children always feel low in schools, colleges, friend circles, and social gatherings. No one wants to make them friends because of social taboos. Their life ends around the brothels only.

If they, however, manage to leave the place and want a new beginning within the society still the community will never let them forget by consistently asking, who they are? and where they had come from? What was their earlier profession? In that interview, one sex worker said, “We always try to smile frustrated one but in return who cares what pain they left with us”. Calling the abusive word in public or cracking a joke by their name is disrespectful.

They have to isolate themselves because of the aggressive thinking of society, no social gathering, and abusive calling is a common practice of what society pays them.

What Can Be the Solution to make their life easier?

• Provide esteem: It will be ironic if the land of “Kamasutra” says that there is life without sex. They deserve respect just like any other woman. They are a part of society too. We should also pay some respect to sex workers because sex is never going to decline as of the rising population.
• Social acceptance: In every country society helps in nation-building and society is made by ‘we’ people. Rather than socially abusing each other, we should treat them like any other human beings because they are also human. “Kamasutra/lust” will never be going to decline as long as humanity exists. But discriminating against them for their profession isn’t the way of humanity. We should accept them because they also have a normal family like us.
• Strict law against exploitation: By making sex work legal the government, they should also make a strict law against the evil traffickers and pimps. One should be held responsible for AIDS/HIV and unwanted pregnancy. Forcing someone for sex in the name of a profession is just another face of ‘Rape’. If she says NO, that means NO.

It might be possible that many people find it uncomfortable and hesitant with these kinds of topics as it’s not a regular part of society. But it’s necessary to bring some light to the dark side of sex worker’s life. So I did. The situation might vary between countries and cultures but it’s right to raise a voice as problems are almost the same.

Artwork:- Ridhi

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