The effect of COVID-19 on hijra (third gender) people in Bangladesh
Authors: Ridwan Islam Sifat
Journal: The Lancet Psychiatry (2020)

In South Asia, the hijra are referred to as a third gender, as a group of transgender women and non-binary and intersex people who were assigned male at birth. Some estimates suggest that more than 10 000 hijras live in Bangladesh, whereas others indicate there are more than 100 000. However, they are deprived of basic human rights in Bangladesh, such as access to primary health-care services, housing facilities, food, and employment opportunities.1Aziz A Azhar S Social exclusion and official recognition of Hijra in Bangladesh.J Res Women Gend. 2019; 9: 3-19Google Scholar Hijras in Bangladesh have been adversely affected by the pandemic, particularly during the national lockdown.2Matin WM Fatime K Noor I Kamruzzaman Sharmin S Covid-19: Quick survey for community response for TG and Hijra.https://www.bandhu-bd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid-19-Quick-Survey-for-Community-Response-for-TG-and-Hijra.pdfDate: May 18, 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar Mental health problems, such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, discrimination, suicide, and domestic violence increased during the lockdown around the world, including in Bangladesh.3Banna MHA Sayeed A Kundu S et al.The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of the adult population in Bangladesh: a nationwide cross-sectional study.Int J Environ Health Res. 2020; (published online Aug 2.)https://doi.org/10.1080/09603123.2020.1802409Google Scholar Hijras have long faced high levels of social stigma, discrimination, isolation, and separation, and many people in Bangladesh still have a negative perception of hijra community members. They are the most marginalised members of south Asian society and are suffering from the crisis of COVID-19 lockdown.2Matin WM Fatime K Noor I Kamruzzaman Sharmin S Covid-19: Quick survey for community response for TG and Hijra.https://www.bandhu-bd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid-19-Quick-Survey-for-Community-Response-for-TG-and-Hijra.pdfDate: May 18, 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar Social stigmatism forces hijras to earn their livelihood by doing informal activities such as collecting money from shops or blessing newlywed couples and newborn babies,1Aziz A Azhar S Social exclusion and official recognition of Hijra in Bangladesh.J Res Women Gend. 2019; 9: 3-19Google Scholar and many earn money as sex workers. A survey found that because of lockdown, most hijras were anxious about money (94%) and food (68%).4Rashid SF Jalil T Tamal M Rahman M On the fringes: impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on Hijras daily personal, social and economic lives.https://covid-bracjpgsph.org/assets/files/research/brief/On%20the%20fringes%20Transgender%20Communities_April%2019_final%20brief%202020-min.pdfDate: April 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar Another survey related to the effect of lockdown on the hijra community found that about 82% of respondents had not earned "a single penny in the last two weeks", and that 59% did not get any support from aid programmes.5Akhter N Transgender realities in the context of COVID-19 in Bangladesh.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342362164Date: 2020Google Scholar About 16% of hijra respondents experienced mental abuse, but relatively few faced physical torture and violence.2Matin WM Fatime K Noor I Kamruzzaman Sharmin S Covid-19: Quick survey for community response for TG and Hijra.https://www.bandhu-bd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid-19-Quick-Survey-for-Community-Response-for-TG-and-Hijra.pdfDate: May 18, 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar The multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and the consequent vulnerabilities experienced by hijras place them at a higher risk of mental health problems, which might trigger various illnesses and long-term psychological complications.4Rashid SF Jalil T Tamal M Rahman M On the fringes: impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on Hijras daily personal, social and economic lives.https://covid-bracjpgsph.org/assets/files/research/brief/On%20the%20fringes%20Transgender%20Communities_April%2019_final%20brief%202020-min.pdfDate: April 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar During the lockdown, there was discrimination in who received primary health-care treatment, especially for hijra people.2Matin WM Fatime K Noor I Kamruzzaman Sharmin S Covid-19: Quick survey for community response for TG and Hijra.https://www.bandhu-bd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Covid-19-Quick-Survey-for-Community-Response-for-TG-and-Hijra.pdfDate: May 18, 2020Date accessed: October 1, 2020Google Scholar The medical infrastructure is under pressure; obtaining treatment and tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is challenging for hirjas because hospital wards are classified for men or women, with no centre for hijra community members. Hirjas often do not access medical health care because of discrimination, not having legal identification documents, and patient rights violations in health-care settings. Health-care providers' insensitive attitudes towards hirjas make them uncomfortable, such that Hijra people tend not to seek timely COVID-19 treatment, compounding their health risks.5Akhter N Transgender realities in the context of COVID-19 in Bangladesh.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342362164Date: 2020Google Scholar There is a need for basic safety net programmes, free counselling services specifically for the hijra community, and nationwide education campaigns to increase mental health literacy and reduce stigmatisation and discrimination. I declare no competing interests.