A hidden community is crying out for help as thousands of transgender sex workers battle addiction, violence, and abandonment in silence.
The Trans Equality Trust has issued an urgent warning that between 25 percent and 30 percent of transgender sex workers in Sri Lanka are trapped in severe drug addiction involving ice, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol. Executive Director Kasuni Mayadunna said the organization’s registered data shows more than 5,000 transgender people in the country, with many forced into sex work after being rejected by their families and removed from their homes. This lack of family acceptance remains one of the strongest factors pushing transgender individuals into the streets.
Ms. Mayadunna said most transgender sex workers survive in rented rooms or shared boarding houses in remote locations, where poverty and fear leave them dependent on sex work to sustain both their drug addiction and basic living expenses. She added that many avoid rehabilitation programmes because they have no support system to help them through the recovery period, leaving them trapped in a cycle of addiction, exploitation, and isolation.
The organization has written to the Inspector General of Police outlining a series of serious issues faced by transgender sex workers across the country. These include physical assaults after arrest, illegal detentions, fabricated charges, and frequent harassment at the hands of both law enforcement and society. TET also highlighted that many hospital staff mishandle emergencies due to a lack of awareness about transgender gender identity, creating dangerous barriers to urgent medical treatment.
TET will soon submit a detailed survey report to state authorities, including Police Headquarters, calling for immediate protection, intervention, and long term support to safeguard the lives, health, and rights of transgender sex workers.
