National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem has said that the government under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is empowering the transgender and hijra (hermaphrodite) community through multiple effective ventures as a policy priority of the state.
He made the statement at the award-giving ceremony of the ‘Inspiring Transgender and Hijra Volunteer Award 2021’, where he was the chief guest on Wednesday at the Sufia Kamal Auditorium in the National Museum in the capital.
At the ceremony, NBR Chairman said that the Prime Minister has encouraged organizations through exempting taxes for the employers, to hire the transgender and hijra workers as a process to empower the Transgender and Hijra community.
He also stated that the culture of detachment between the families and the transgender and hijra people can be eliminated through the process of ensuring their empowerment, thus they would be considered as the assets for their parents.
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NBR Chairman also added that he is directly supervising the recruitment of transgender and hijra workers in different organizations and also working with the concerned ministries to raise awareness among the concerned in the educational institutions about transgender and hijra issues, including the name change in their National Identity Card.
In celebration of the ‘International Youth Day 2021,’ Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bandhu) initiated the award to recognize transgender and hijra youth activists for their voluntary works during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Three trans women were awarded at the ceremony including Ashiqul Islam Sajib (Sanjibani), a social worker known for her voluntary work on burying and cremating dead bodies during the pandemic.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Habibur Rahman, BPM (BAR), PPM (BAR), was also present as ‘Guest of Honour’ at the event, alongside prominent model and dancer Sadia Islam Mou.
Renowned dance artist and Chairperson of Bandhu Social Welfare Society Anisul Islam Hero chaired the award-giving ceremony.
For more than two decades, the Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bandhu) has been working towards improving the quality of life through providing healthcare services and human rights support for the gender diverse population in Bangladesh.
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With the help of different donor organizations and individuals, Bandhu has provided relief, financial aid and emergency healthcare support for 13,628 transgenders and hijras in the last year. Through its networking, an additional 10,500 community members have received relief support from different GO and NGO organizations.