Policy Brief: Preventing Torture Against Transgender Persons in Pakistan
Date.20 Apr, 2026
Transgender persons in Pakistan face a continuum of violence at the hands of law enforcement that extends from routine harassment in public spaces to arbitrary detention, extortion, and abuse in custody. While Pakistan has made notable legal advances in recognising transgender rights, these protections have not translated into meaningful safeguards against torture and ill-treatment in practice for transgender persons in Pakistan.
This policy brief argues that the central challenge is not the absence of legal protections, but their failure in implementation. Existing laws, including constitutional guarantees, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, and Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law, prohibit discrimination, arbitrary detention, and custodial abuse. However, in the absence of binding operational frameworks, independent oversight, and accessible complaint mechanisms, these protections remain largely ineffective.
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