The Hijra of India And How They Are Exploited
Introduction
This research paper describes the hijra who are a social and religious group living in the northern part of India. They are neither female nor male in their gender and are described as men who adopted the characteristics and behaviors of women. They are mainly involved in prostitution despite being religious and play the role of women. They are commonly referred to as beggars and people who blessed children traditionally. Serena Nanda describes hijras as people who are exploited for sex since they act and dress like women (Nanda, n.d). They do not have other means of surviving a part from begging and being prostitutes. This research paper focuses on the lives of the hijra from Serena’s perspective. Most hijras come from poor backgrounds, which turn them to beggars and prostitutes from this research. Most medical and literature reports and research shows that hijras are vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and the dangerous human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. Most authors view hijras as vulnerable since they are referred to as prostitutes (Nanda, n.d). Most university students have researched on hijras at their master levels and viewed them as vulnerable group. In the perspective of Haider, he shows the members of the public view that hijira negatively (Agrawal, 2014). They thus receive less employment services compared to other people. Hijras are perceived as violent people and people who are not easily associated with according to Haider. Human security of the hijra is affected as shown by Jami since the group is highly vulnerable and is perceived to cause violence. Hijras are widely diversified as Haider researches. Most people and university students do not realize this.
Hijras according to Serena Nanda is a social group made up people who are neither female nor male. They are commonly referred to as female since they dress and behave like women. Serena says that answering who hijras are is the most difficult question since it is still not yet agreed on how to describe the hijras (Nanda, n.d). Hijras are still debated in Pakistan in order for people to discover who they are (Agrawal, 2014). They may be placed thirdly after male and female since they are viewed as neither female nor male. Initially the word hijra is used to stand for an impotent person. One who has failed to perform sexual roles is referred to as a hijra. Hijras as researched by Serena are described as males who have adopted the female gender. People who are willing to undergo emasculation or have already gone through it are known as hijra as Sonya says in her research (Agrawal, 2014). Emasculation is a term referring to those people whose penis is removed and a vagina constructed instead. There are two types of Hijras. There are those that are born as Hijras and those who develop to become hijras. Khusra are Hijras who have been emasculated and survive just like women. There is a distinction between the born Hijras and non-born Hijras since human security is affected. Zenana are type of Hijras who have not desired to undergo emasculation but have a strong femininity yet they are males (Agrawal, 2014). Hijras impact greatly on human security and thus many people research much on hijras and the diversity of hijras.
Hijras are viewed as prostitutes since they have strong femininity. They behave like women even though they are males where most of them undergo emasculation in order to make them complete females. Most Hijras become prostitutes since they lack employment opportunities in order to earn income. Most people are not ready to employ Hijras since members of the public view them negatively (Agrawal, 2014). Older and young Hijras from the interview worked as prostitutes in order to earn money to support them. Hijras are viewed as cheap people for sex and thus many people use them for cheap sex. They also do dancing which earns them income apart from prostitution. Most male refer to Hijras as the cheapest prostitutes since they charge as little as below two hundred rupees. The Zenanas are paid as low as fifty rupees, which is far below other prostitutes (Agrawal, 2014). Thus, they are exploited for sex unlike other prostitutes who are well paid for one to get their services. Most Hijras are exploited even though they are beautiful and of the right age. Some do not have negotiation skills, which make them, earn little compared to other female prostitutes. They are beaten up if they fail to get the necessary amounts of money. Hijras are employed in hotels as prostitutes and are forced to sleep with the customers for money even at their small age. This shows how other people exploit them. They sleep with many clients in a night but with the limited minutes (Agrawal, 2014). Most Hijras contract the sexually transmitted infections at their young age. They suffer from gonorrhea, syphilis and other transmitted infections at their young age, which is a threat to their health.
Other people in the modern society evidently exploit Hijiras, which is a threat to their security. They are exploited for sex. For example, young Hijras and Zenanas are exposed to sex at an early age (Nanda, n.d). They become prostitutes even at their old age from the interview carried out. They are contacted with sexual transmitted diseases where the society views that as a pay for their sins. They are involved in prostitution since they cannot get employed as people view them negatively (Agrawal, 2014). The old Hijras who cannot participate in dancing are left to beg and rely on peoples help. They are seen begging on restaurants in vehicles, which are caught on traffic jams. This shows their desperation since they cannot get employed and cannot participate in other useful activities. Hijras are not exposed to education thus showing why they are easily exploited. They are involved in less paying jobs like cleaning and tailoring. They perform low salary jobs such as cooking and can be dismissed any time their identity is discovered (Agrawal, 2014). For example, one Hijra who worked as a cook for the army was dismissed after people discovered he had a heart of a woman. Hijras have their reasons of becoming prostitutes but people should not despise them and exploit them since they are human beings too. They should be supported in order to accept themselves. People should respect them since they are part of the community. They should not be viewed as outcasts.
Hijras support prostitution and thinks it is right. They do this since they have no other source of income. They are not educated unlike other people and this makes them inferior. They do not have the right to become prostitutes but because of people despising them and denying them jobs, they end up becoming prostitutes. They are not educated and trained on dangers of prostitution (Agrawal, 2014). Prostitution endangers their lives, which is a threat to, their population. Most are infected with the deadly HIV virus, which results to death. Others contact other sexual diseases, which harm them. Prostitution is a means of earning income among the hijras but it is not right. Some are involved in other low paid jobs such as cleaning, tailoring and cooking. Some perform these tasks and since they do not get enough money, they practice prostitution too (Nanda, n.d). Most males associate hijras with prostitution and consider them as the cheapest paid prostitutes. They are not respected and instead exploited for sex and other activities. Prostitution should not be the only source of income for the hijras. They can come up with other activities instead of prostitution (Agrawal, 2014). They can urge the government to support them in order for them to get access to education. Through education, the hijras can realize their value and importance in the society and can even get employment in better paying jobs. Prostitution is wrong since it causes bad effects to the person.
Hijras even though they are exploited should not perceive themselves as low esteemed people. They should realize their value in the society and exploit their talents. They should not practice prostitution or view prostitution as main source of income. Education should be an option instead of prostitution (Nanda, n.d). This will solve the problem of health security among the hijras. Another option can be securing themselves jobs as nurses since they have a good heart. Traditionally they were known to take care of sick people and thus becoming nurses is a good carrier for them. They are also proposed to become police officers since they will be able to deal with criminals at night. They can become tax collectors since people fear their curses and will give tax when it is due (Nanda, n.d). Some hijras also administered vaccines to children since people trust that hijras poses some special powers which can bless kids. Hijras should be respected just like other people in the society. They should not be harassed even in schools as they are harassed currently. Many hijras drop out of schools since other children harass them. They are despised by other people, which discourage them. People should learn to respect the gender of others and treat them right regardless of the gender. The government should intervene and help the poor hijras in order to show them that they are appreciated regardless of their gender.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it is evidently noticed that hijras are common in the Indian countries. The research focuses on the exploitations hijras go through and solutions researched in order to help them. Hijras are important people in the community and people believe they have special powers used to bless new borne children. They are exploited and involve themselves in prostitution in order to earn income. Research shows other jobs hijras can involve in to instead of practicing prostitution. They are important people who should utilize their talents in the community. People should respect them since they are members of the society. The government and other associations should encourage people to respect the hijras and should fight for their rights.
References
Agrawal. A (2014) Gendered Bodies: The Case Of The Third Gender In ‘India’
Nanda. S (n.d) Neither Man nor Woman..Hijras of India
