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ABSTRACT: Context: Transgender people commonly faced stigma which has been linked to violence, abuse, and discrimination, often forcing them to remain hidden. Objectives: This study plans to estimate the size of the transgender population and to assess the vulnerability and risk of transgender people in the society. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 171 transwomen aged 18 years and above residing in two districts in Manipur recruited using the respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method. Interviews were conducted using a semistructured questionnaire, and the multiplier method was applied for the size estimation. Descriptive statistics were generated. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the institutional ethics committee. Results: The mean ± SD age of realization of their sexual identity and age of expressing gender identity was 9.06 ± 2.9 and 17.3 ± 2.7 year, respectively. The reported network size was found to be 40.37 ± 38.7, and the estimated size of the transgender population was found to be 2201 (95% CI 1987.6–2403.1). Most of the respondents (157, 91.8%) had 'Ever experienced harassment due to their sexual identity', with the majority (138, 87.9%) reporting 'verbal abuse', while (108, 63.1%) reported 'sexual abuse' and 43.9% of them said they had a 'psychological effect' due to the abuse. Conclusion: The majority of the respondents had faced some form of harassment or abuse due to their gender identity, leading to the psychological effect on them. There is an urgent need for developing a comprehensive measure focusing on mainstreaming the transgender persons by creating an enabling environment for their holistic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respectful maternity care (RMC) refers to the humane and dignified treatment of a childbearing woman throughout her pregnancy, childbirth and immediate postpartum period. Disrespect and abuse of women during labour, childbirth and immediate postpartum period in health facilities is one of the reasons which deter them from further utilizing maternal healthcare services. The present study was thus undertaken to determine to what extent RMC practices are being followed in a health facility in Manipur. Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted from May 2022 to August 2022 in a Health facility among women coming for institutional delivery along with direct observations of the labour room. The study tool comprises a semistructured questionnaire related to respectful maternity care which was adapted from the Person‑Centered Maternity Care Scale, a validated instrument. The direct observation method was carried out using a checklist adapted from a standardized tool developed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Descriptive statistics were generated and approval of the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results: A total of 336 (99.1%) women reported at least one form of disrespect or abuse during childbirth. Maximum abuse (91.4%) was reported in the facility and environment domain. Direct observation done on 22 deliveries in the labour room found that 72.7% of the women experienced at least one form of disrespect and abuse. Two (9.1%) women were observed to face physical force or abusive behaviour. Conclusion: Almost all the women reported at least one form of disrespect or abuse during childbirth. There is a need to improve the health facilities and women need to be treated with dignity and respect as it is being violated according to the findings in many studies as with ours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]