As we celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, 2025, I want to take a moment to highlight a painful reality that often goes unnoticed—the horrific situation of transgender individuals who flee their home countries seeking safety, only to find themselves trapped in yet another cycle of persecution and neglect.

Many transgender refugees escape their countries due to extreme violence, discrimination, and even threats to their lives. They flee with the hope of finding protection in nations that have signed international agreements to safeguard asylum seekers. However, upon arrival, they are met with further marginalization—not just from host governments but also from human rights organizations like UNHCR, which are meant to protect them.

In refugee camps, where they are placed as a form of “protection,” transgender individuals often face severe discrimination, harassment, and even torture. Transphobia runs deep, and instead of being safe, they are exposed to the same dangers they tried to escape. Many are left with no choice but to flee once again—this time from the very camps meant to shield them.

With limited options, some transgender refugees seek safety in other countries, even those that are unstable or engulfed in war. But no matter where they go, the cycle of suffering continues—rejected, unprotected, and forced to endure the same violence they had hoped to leave behind.

Visibility must go beyond celebration; it must be a call to action. The international community must recognize the urgent need for real protection for transgender refugees—protection that does not merely place them in unsafe environments but ensures their dignity, security, and right to live without fear.

To all transgender refugees struggling to survive, I see you. We see you. Your fight is not invisible. And we will continue to speak out until the world listens.

Cyara Kiara, Transgender womxn and Human Rights Defender