A*, a 22 -year -old transgender woman, held by her fascinating performances at wedding parties, saw her life to give a devastating turn when HIV/AIDS diagnosed.
The news of the deadly but treatable disease was like a bomb shell for her, but instead of looking for timely treatment, she maintained her hidden diagnosis to her classmates due to the fear of losing her livelihood and being evicted from the shared room she called home after leaving her family in Rawalpindi.
“The health of A began to decrease with weakness and clearly visible anemia in his body. However, he ruled it every time and blamed the implacable fever as the only cause of his suffering,” recalls his colleague, W*.
“Dancing at weddings and social meetings while fighting against the disease became taught for A and its health quickly deteriorated due to avoiding medical treatment, leaving it in bed in a matter of months,” S*shares, a roommate of A, who served as his companion during visits to marriage meetings.
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“We immediately take it to the AIDS treatment center in LRH and that doctors informed us that it is already registered with them, but the delay in obtaining medications has caused serious complications,” he said. “The last days of A were very heartbreaking since it cried with pain and due to the absence of their parents and brothers in this difficult phase of life.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President of the Transgender Community and Executive Director of the Manzil Foundation, Arzoo Khan, says: “The practice of hiding diseases, particularly HIV/AIDS, prevails among the transgender community due to the stigma society, psychological traum They refer to psychological trauma to the detection of the fantastic to the detection of health arrest and refer to health detection and refer to food and refer to subjecting the care of emergency medicine, refer to submitting the care of emergency medicine, refer to subjecting the care of emergency medicine, refused to detect phrases. abuse.”
Arzoo adds that many transgender people live with HIV/AIDS, but due to social stigma, they are avoiding the treatment of medical care centers, putting their own health at a serious risk.
She said that recently, a transgender person from the Malakand district arrived in Peshawar in a serious condition and was taken to the HIV/AIDS treatment center in LRH.
“P, the transgender of the district of Malakand, delayed its medical treatment for almost two years and now its health has deteriorated severely, leaving it in critical condition,” adds Arzoo.
According to the Provincial AIDS Control Program, a worrying increase in cases of HIV/AIDS infection in the province has been witnessed.
The number of HIV patients in KP until June 2025 reached 8,398, of which 6,448 are men, 2,119 women, 197 transgender and 445 children. In the first six months of 2025, around 741 new HIV patients were recorded in KP.
There are a total of 13 antiretroviral therapy centers (art) in KP, with the largest number of HIV positive patients registered in Peshawar.
“A could have challenged the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS when looking for appropriate medical advice and starting treatment immediately after diagnosis, saving its own life and giving an example for others,” laments Farzana, president of the KP transaction.
“The fear of losing his livelihood and being evicted from the community claimed his own life at the top of his youth, leaving the community in a state of discouragement and deep pain.”
Nayyer Mujerb, a patient with HIV and president of the KP chapter of the association of people living with HIV Pakistan (ALCHIV), says: “In addition to transgender people, who already belong to a marginalized community, men and women who live with HIV/AIDS also face severe stigma, which often discourage them to visit treatment centers to collect their routine medications.” “
Nayyer tells him Application that is in contact with several HIV patients who doubt in seeking treatment publicly and to guarantee the continuity of medical care, give them medications directly to them in their homes.
A research report compiled together by Blue Venas and the National Human Rights Commission says: “The transgender people living with HIV face a double crisis: the virus itself and the devastating impact of social stigma.”
The report, entitled Understand the impact of HIV stigma on transgender people living with HIV in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – The first in KP – Its objective aims to examine the impact of HIV stigma in transgender people and their broader implications in access to health, social inclusion and legal protections.
The study finds that many transgender people experience social exclusion, including rejection by families, labor discrimination and even violence, pushing them to vulnerability.
Structural inequalities such as economic marginalization, lack of legal protection and social exclusion lead many transgender people to high -risk behaviors, including sexual work and insecure injection practices, which increase their vulnerability to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, the study mentions the study.
“The exclusion of transgender people from national medical care programs, combined with legal ambiguities and generalized discrimination, has resulted in severe health disparities, particularly in the context of HIV prevention, treatment and care,” observes Shawana Shah, director of the program of Da Hawwa Lur (Eva daughter).
Shawana says that Da Hawwa Lur Recently he conducted a research study to document and understand the experiences, needs and challenges of transgender people at the base level.
The study suggests an inclusive and affirmative gender health policy to reduce HIV/AIDS risks among the transgender community through its equitable participation in treatment programs.
*Hidden name to protect privacy
