Sanam Fakeer -- A different kind of social activist

The Context
Eunuchs, transgender, transvites, Khawaja Sara, Fakeer, Hijra, Chakay etc they are all names of the third sex, neither male nor female, as we all perceive them in the society. Due to their sex, they have to face all kinds of discrimination in Pakistani society. Not just the common public but their families also throw them out forcing them to live a life deprived of all basic social, economic and political rights in today’s Pakistan. They dance on marriage ceremonies, birthday parties, Chattis and occasions of happiness to earn their livelihoods. Moreover, they are widely victim of sexual abuse. And the religious clerics blame them to be the punishment of God for all human kind.

But this is not what the transgender historically were! The Mughal emperors of the Hindustan employed them as servants for their female members of the royal family because the Mughal didn’t fear any harm from them as compared to male servants. And it were the Mughal who gave them title of the Khawaja Sara – a title which all the eunuchs in Pakistan and India of today wants themselves to be called as they take pride in it.



Sanam Fakeer – A visionary Transgender (eunuch) Social Activist

Sanam Fakeer[1] was born in 1975 in house of Paish Imam[2] belonging to a Syed family of Sukkur District. She is number nine in her ten siblings. Sanam completed her education up to class eight. While her father was alive, he supported her and treated her like other family members. After death of her father, her brothers and uncles forced her to leave home. She then joined a eunuch commune lead by Guru Meer in Sukkur District.


Today she is still living with same commune. Her brothers never want to see her but she has been fortunate to visit her sisters whenever she wants. She has even been denied the right of share in property left by her father.

While Sanam started living with the Eunuch commune in Sukkur, she started realizing the miseries eunuches ha to face in spending their lives.

“We normally do dances and beg money from people for earning our livelihoods;” says Sanam. She adds, “However, as we age, it becomes difficult for us to earn our livelihoods.” But over the time, Sanam has developed hatred towards using dance and begging as mean for earning money. She wants that transgender should learn vocational skills and start their alternative income generation activities. “As I realized this, there was a shopkeeper from whom I took a small loan and went to Quetta; I purchased Shaals from there and started selling them in Sukkur to shop keepers and in homes. And I start making lots of livelihoods.” she shares.

The Endeavors

Building upon her own success story, Sanam wanted to take practical steps to facilitate her colleagues in starting alternative income generation activities. However, her efforts are not just limited to eunuchs but she has been supporting ordinary men and women as well.



Sanam Fakeer Social Welfare Organization

In order to practically work for the welfare and development of the eunuchs, Sanam has registered her organization as CBO, community based organization, with Social Welfare Department in Sukkur. Under this organization, she has been doing different charity works for eunuchs and other target groups.


* Sanam from her own earnings provided a tri-cycles to disabled persons.
* Sanam bore expenditures of eye operation of one her senior eunuchs among the eunuch commune she lives with.

Sanam Fakeer Community Citizens’ Board

Recently, Sanam learnt about CCBs under the local government system and facility of funding for small projects. Sanam proactively worked and not only got her CCB registered with the Community Development Department Sukkur but also prepared project for opening vocational skill development center for eunuchs and women in here area. The proposal has been submitted with the district government and the Nazim District Sukkur has ensured Sanam that her CCB would be provided the funds.



Relief Material for IDPs from Malakand Division

Following displacements of millions of the people from Malakand Divison as result of fight against terrorism, Sanam sold her gold ornaments and bought different relief materials required for the camps. She travelled all the way from Sukkur to Sheikh Yaseen camp in Sukkur and distributed the relief material to the IDPs.

Supporting Her Sister’s family

For last over 10 years now, Sanam has been provided cash amount to one of her sisters who live in Quetta on monthly basis. She is doing it support her in making both ends meet as her sister is a widow.

The Way Forward
Sanam wants to develop a vocational center with residential facility in Sukkur targeting the socio-economic empowerment of eunuchs from all over Pakistan. In this regard, she is working hard to raise required funds from different sources.

Moreover, she is organizing and mobilizing other community members to register their computerized national identity cards as it would help them get small funds from the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) following the supreme court verdict.

-----------------

[1] Fakeer has a denotative meaning of a beggar in Sindhi and Urdu but its used in connotation of “a person very close to God and must be given respect”. The transgender are widely called Fakeers in Sindh to as they are historically perceived respectful.

[2] A religious leader of Muslims who leads in offering Namaz

Credits:

Research by: Noshaba Hassan (my wife) - DTCE-UNDP

Written by: Hassan Nasir and Noshaba Hassan