Pride and Prejudice: Trans survivor of sexual abuse at work says women must be punished too

Laws against rape, sexual harassment at the workplace, outraging modesty, all apply to victims who are women. The Transgender Persons Act, 2019 includes transgender victims of sexual violence but the sentence ranges from 6 months to two years with a fine. For cisgender women who are victims of rape, the sentence ranges from seven years to a life sentence or death penalty.

In this episode of The Suno India Show, our reporter Suryatapa Mukherjee speaks to a transgender victim of sexual assault and explores how these laws impact Queer people. This episode is part of our miniseries ‘Pride and Prejudice’ on all things LGBTQIA+. Atif* was sexually abused by his boss at a Queer organisation, a so-called safe space. His alleged abuser is a woman and he is a man, so even though he decided to seek justice, he couldn’t.

Additional reading:

All you need to know about gender inequality in rape laws
Handbook on Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace