The Supreme Court is all set to do something for the betterment of most neglected segment of society 'eunuchs' as it ordered for a comprehensive survey to set a benchmark and device policy for welfare of this abandoned section of the society.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday directed provincial advocate generals to arrange a survey with the help social welfare departments for compiling a detailed report about 'eunuch' in the country.
A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui issued the order. The issue surfaced after police arrested some eunuch-transvestites by raiding merry makers in Taxila.
Dr Mohammad Aslam Khaki, an Islamic jurist and human right activist stood for their rights after he came to know that neither a single human right commission nor any Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) was working for these people in the country, and filed a petition seeking establishment of a commission to safeguard rights of eunuchs.
Dr Khaki raised a serious question that such people were also denied the right of inheritance and other fundamental rights. They cannot openly travel in trains, buses or use facilities available to common citizens of the country.
The court also directed the welfare departments to determine the offence of the parents guilty of abandoning their hermaphrodite children to the people considered living at the bottom rungs of social ladder of the country. In addition, the court directed to register particulars of the eunuchs groups to learn about the whereabouts of the children living with them.
At court's query, Khaki told that population of eunuchs in Pakistan is approximately 80,000. Since gender confused children were handed over to the "guru" (eunuch leaders) at a very tender age by the parents, these children did not get any opportunity of education rather they were trained either to beg, dance on different occasions or forced into prostitution business, he added.
"Practically such children are under constant habeas corpus since they cannot leave their gurus and are bound to do whatever is ordered against their will," said Dr Khaki. Khaki said that he conducted an investigation at his own and found that they live in sizeable communities, divided into clan groups living mostly in slums. The court asked the provincial governments to submit detailed report and postponed the matter for four weeks.