Nari Alibekova
Well, who would you go to? You parents? Your girlfriends? We are a trans initiative for trans feminine sex workers, and there you get the trust. Many girls know me and know my contribution, this is very important. To let them know that they are not alone and that there is support. It is important.
Nari Alibekova is a woman human rights defender and trans feminine sex workers' rights defender from Kazakhstan. Nari Alibekova has been working to protect the rights of trans sex workers since 2015: her personal successful experience of fighting for accountability and bringing perpetrators to justice lead her to start raising awareness about the rights of trans feminine sex workers. In 2021 the woman human rights defender founded TransDocha – a trans sex workers' rights initiative, that provides various types of assistance to trans feminine sex workers in Almaty and other localities across Kazakhstan.
TransDocha has been providing emergency rapid response to trans feminine sex workers, whose rights were violated, including legal and psychological support, emergency protection, medical assistance, and housing rights. TransDocha has been fighting severe physical violence, extortion, and racketeering on behalf of law enforcement officers and criminal groups. TransDocha has been documenting violations and raising awareness about the risks and threats directed toward trans-feminine sex workers. The woman human rights defender is a prominent and trusted community leader, whose support is integral to trans sex workers in Kazakhstan. Nari Alibekova has also been a prominent member of the feminist community, addressing the stigma around trans-feminine women and trans-feminine sex workers. She has received many threats because of her work, yet she continues her work to ensure the rights of trans-feminine sex workers.
Human rights defenders (HRDs) in Kazakhstan are faced with physical and verbal threats, acts of intimidation, judicial harassment, and arbitrary detention; their work continues to be hindered by legislative obstacles that vastly infringe on the rights to freedom of association, assembly, and expression, as well as human rights monitoring and promotion. Furthermore, in 2015, Kazakhstan's government passed legislation that bans ‘propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientations,’ which drove LGBT rights initiatives and defenders into hiding.
