District Legal Services Authority Associates With Transgender Community For Spreading Legal Awareness In Bihar's Aurangabad

During a special function last Friday, the eight transgender persons were included as team members in the presence of Judicial officers including the District Judge.

As part of the Pan India Awareness program, DLSA Aurangabad has not only created awareness about the protection that the law offers for the transgender community but, it has also taken a proactive measure to entrust them with the duty to spread legal awareness among the needy people.

According to the DLSA sources, the transgender persons who were present there remarked that they had never ever heard or seen any initiative whereby they were made part of the judicial body.

"This is for the first time that the DLSA has inducted them as a partner in its endeavour to spread pan India Awareness. Initially, we had gathered them on 29th October, at District Legal Services Authority Office to provide awareness about laws relating to transgender rights, and during the interaction, we found that they were imbued with the spirit of working with us and helping us for the common good of public. Then, DLSA decided to train them on spreading awareness among the common people about the benefits of documentation, searching the needy who require legal help etc. Therefore, we decided to make them members of the team of district legal services authority spreading awareness", Secretary of District Legal Services Authority told LiveLaw.

Currently, the members of the transgender community are working with multiple DLSA teams including panel lawyers and paralegal volunteers, in the far-flung areas of the District, distributing pamphlets and informing them about the benefits of documentation, especially births and deaths registration.

On Monday, the new members of the team also flagged off a mobile van for spreading legal awareness, in the presence of the District Judge and other Judicial officers.

According to DLSA, the transgender members are currently working as ad hoc volunteers, lending a helping hand for those in distress.

"The immense proactiveness that they have shown in contributing to the society despite their own deplorable status, sometimes even ripped off their identity as human beings must be appreciated", said the DLSA Secretary.

With their willingness to assist the poor and their vast knowledge about the downtrodden sections of society, they are expected to get permanently inducted as paralegal volunteers in April 2022, commented the Secretary of DLSA.

Pictures from the legal awareness programs where transgender persons have been working as volunteers: