Kolkata: West Bengal’s government has asked the Kolkata Police to begin recruitment of transgenders into the Civic Police Volunteer Force (CPVC). The move is seen to be a way to end the societal stigma and discrimination that the community faces from society at large.
“The basic idea to induct the transgenders into the civic police force is to tell the society at large that [such people] can equally contribute towards the development and protection of the state through, which we believe will be able to end the age old stigma and discrimination against the society,” Shashi Panja minister for state for women and child development.
The state government has been taking various steps to include transgenders into the main stream such as helplines for third gender people, and the formation of a special development board to address their issues to appointing a transgender head of a college.
“The state government is working towards sensitising the society about the needs of the transgenders and we are looking to partner organisations who are willing to help in provide educational and medical issues of the community,” the minister added.
Panja informed that the state government is considering about setting up Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) units in specialised government hospitals for the benefit of this community.
“For all these years we had languished with hardly any governmental support for our development. We certainly welcome the steps taken by Mamata Banerjee,” said Parvati, a transgender by birth.
