Rakia is a transgender woman from Sunamganj, now living in Dhaka. Most of her life has been spent under society’s denial and neglect. From childhood, through her family’s eyes and the community’s gaze, she was an “unnecessary” person. With no opportunities or support, she had to abandon her studies midway. To survive, she was pushed into the work of sex—work she never chose, only reached by force of circumstance.
Rakia’s story exposes the thorny edge of transgender women’s struggle in Bangladesh. Many are driven down this road by social contempt and a lack of employment. Even with some interest at the government level, the reality is that they still face discrimination—from jobs to healthcare. In a democratic society, such neglect and bias are nothing less than a violation of human rights.
Rakia says, “We don’t just want to earn money—we want to be accepted by society. But the reality is different. People avoid us; no one in the family understands.”
Across Bangladesh, transgender women are fighting this fight every day—for dignity and for safety. Standing beside them is the call of the moment. If we don’t, countless lives like Rakia’s will be swallowed by this cruel reality.
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