Tuesday 31 March 2009

ILGA: EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency launches second part of its Report on Homophobia and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in EU

31.3.9

L-Aġenzija tal-Unjoni Ewropea għad-Drittijiet Fundamentali illum varat ir-rapport tagħha dwar is-sitwazzjoni soċjali tal-persuni LGBT fl-Ewropa.

Stqarrija għall-istampa bil-Malti

http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/MR_hdgso_part2_mt.pdf

Media release in English

http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/MR_hdgso_part2_en.pdf

Aktar informazzjoni:

http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/press/mr-310309_en.htm

Is-sena li għaddiet l-Agenzija kienet ippublikat l-ewwel parti tar-rapport dwar is-sitwazzjoni legali. Ir-rapport dwar is-sitwazzjoni legali f’Malta jinsab hawn:

http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/FRA-hdgso-NR_MT.pdf

ILGA-Europe MEDIA RELEASE

EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency launches second part of its Report on Homophobia and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in the EU

Today the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) launches its Report on Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the EU Member States, Part II: The Social Situation.

ILGA-Europe welcomes the Report which is the most comprehensive report on the legal and social situation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the EU to date. We particularly welcome the set of opinions and recommendations which we believe lay down excellent road map for EU institutions and EU Member States on the actions that need to be taken in order to tackle discrimination and prejudice against LGBT people both at EU and national levels.

This report confirms the worrying situation with regards to hate crime and hate speech against LGBT people in the EU. The high numbers of bullying at schools and deadly assaults on transgender people are of particular concern. The underreporting of homophobic and transphobic crimes and the police inadequacies dealing with such crimes is another serious problem. Only 12 EU member States introduced provisions making it a criminal offence to incite to hatred, violence and discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

Another worrying trend is widespread of bullying and harassment of LGBT people in educational institutions across the EU which negatively affect performance and well-being of individuals. The report notices how little attention is paid to this particular problem by schools authorities in the EU.

The Report points out mobilisation and organised lobbying against improvements of the rights of LGBT people by religion organisations in various EU Member States.

The Reports also finds that transgender people are systematically discriminated against in all areas investigated by this report. ILGA-Europe is also particularly concerned with the findings on attitudes towards transgender people. The Reports shows that attitudes towards transgender people are significantly more severe than negative attitudes towards LGB people and therefore require a targeted response.

Dirk De Meirleir, Executive Director of ILGA-Europe, said:

“We are very pleased with this important research conducted by the Fundamental Rights Agency. This is the first time the EU institution investigates the extent of discrimination and prejudice LGBT people experience across the European Union in such great details.

Given the worrying picture that this report provides, we hope its conclusions and recommendations will be taken seriously by the EU institutions and EU Member States. The Report is an excellent aid to the institutions and national governments to send homophobia and transphobia to the history books. It is in their powers, what is needed is a political will. ILGA-Europe will provide all its support and expertise to support the European Union and its Member States in this important work.”

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For more information please contact
Juris Lavrikovs at + 32 2 609 54 16 / + 32 496 708 375

Notes for editors:

(1) ILGA-Europe is the European Region of ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans & intersex people in Europe: http://www.ilga-europe.org/

(2) The full report is available on http://fra.europa.eu/

(3) Background to the report: In June 2007 the European Parliament asked FRA to develop a comparative report on homophobia and sexual orientation discrimination in the EU Member States to assist the European Parliament’s LIBE committee in its deliberations concerning the need for a Directive covering all grounds of discrimination. In response, the FRA launched this project composed of two parts. The first part, published in June 2008, contains a comparative legal analysis of the situation in the EU Member States: www.fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/products/publications_reports/pub_cr_homophobia_0608_en.htm

Tislijiet,

Silvan Agius
Policy & Programmes Officer

ILGA-Europe aisbl

The European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA)
rue Belliard straat 12
Brussels B-1040
Belgium
tel.: + 32 2 609 54 17
fax: + 32 2 609 54 19
www.ilga-europe.org

Equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex people in Europe



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Click here to view related information about the report: http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/products/publications_reports/pub_cr_homophobia_p2_0309_en.htm
Click on the pdf icon at the bottom of the page to view the complete report.

See report here:
http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/attachments/FRA-hdgso-part2-NR_MT.pdf

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