20 November 2020, Kathmandu
The Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020 has been observed by Blue Diamond Society, a NGO working for the rights and identity of the LGBTI community on Friday in Basantpur Kathmandu.
The day is observed each year on November 20 as a day to memorialize those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia and Blue Diamond Society as the part of the campaign tributed to all trans who passed away due to the violence.
Every year on this day, the LGBTI community gathers to mourn and commemorate those who have lost their lives to transphobia.
On Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020, APTN ( Asia Pacific Transgender network) in collaboration with other regional and local trans-led organizations has set out to discuss the importance of systematic data collections and reporting on occurrences of hate crime against the trans people and how these data can be used to advance discourses on the urgently needed legal, policy and programmatic protections for trans people across the region and the world.
During the campaign, BDS also raised the issue of Nikisha Shrestha, an aspiring model and a TikTok celebrity who was recently being chased and harassed by two men. In order to tribute those who lost their lives due to transphobia, BDS along with others carrying play cards made symbolic presence in Hanumandhoka today- shared Manisha Dhakal, an Executive Director of BDS.
Thus, stigma and discrimination against trans and gender-diverse people results in horrifying violations of human rights including violence, extortion, physical and sexual assault, harassment and even murder.
Data collected by trans human rights defenders in the region also reveals a concerning pattern of hate crimes perpetrated against trans people across the Asia and the Pacific region. These crimes largely remain unreported, and are often committed by state and non-state actors with legal impunity.
