Facing Harassment and Violence

You may face harassment or violence on the basis of:

• Your gender identity where you are being targeted specifically for identifying differently than the gender assigned to you at birth. For example, anti-beggary laws are used very commonly used by the police to arrest and harass transgender persons.
• Your sexual orientation where you are being targeted for your choice of partners or sexual preference. For example, a lot of queer persons may not be comfortable with being public about their sexual orientation and they may blackmailed for money in exchange for keeping this a secret.

If you face targeted harassment or violence, you have a right to complain and get protection from anyone, including a family member, teacher, etc. who is harassing or hurting you. For immediate protection, you can call government helplines who will advise you on steps to take and assist you by sending the police to your location.

The kinds of violence that can happen to you may be in the form of:

• Sexual Violence such as rape or sexual crimes such as inappropriate touching, stalking etc. You may even face different kinds of online sexual violence.
• Physical Violence such as someone injuring or hurting you, locking you up etc.
• Psychological Violence such as someone threatening to hurt you, blackmailing you for favors or money etc. This may even happen to you online.

If you decide to go to the police station to file an FIR (First Information Report), it is important to be confident and prepared with the law before you go, since there may be situations where you may get harassed by the police officers themselves. For example, the police officers may refuse to listen to you because you are a transgender person, so it is important to know the law under which you are filing the complaint.