We refer to the media reports regarding the transgender woman who was attacked by a group of men in Negeri Sembilan. We have visited the victim and spoken to her on 19 August 2018 at Hospital Tuanku Jaafar in Seremban.
We were horrified to discover that the victim was physically assaulted by a group of 8 men at around 11pm in Sungai Ujong, Seremban. The men surrounded her, and it is believed that she was attacked because of the prejudice against her gender identity i.e. the fact that she is a transgender woman. The victim had suffered internal injuries, several broken ribs as well as injuries to her back and head, which required 12 stiches. The victim was hospitalised for several days after the assault.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. The transgender community has long been the target of assault and harassment throughout the country. In some cases, the attacks have resulted in serious injuries and tragically, even death. Most of the time, the perpetrators of the crimes were not brought to justice, either because of fear of repercussions on the part of the victims or because the authorities were reluctant to take further action.
We believe that the wanton disregard for the lives of the transgender community is the result of the constant demonisation of the community by certain quarters. The hate speeches directed at the transgender community reduced their humanity in the eyes of society and has made it easier for them to be targeted. We condemn in the strongest terms any hate speech directed at the community.
The physical and verbal assaults suffered by transgender community must be stopped. They are gross violations of the human rights of members of the transgender community, who should also enjoy the same fundamental liberties as any other citizen of this country.
We call upon all parties to work together to put a halt to the attacks on one of the most marginalised communities in Malaysia.