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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:15 pm
Time: 11:15 pm
Results for gays, violence against
2 results foundAuthor: Amnesty International Title: Because of Who I Am: Homophobia, Transphobia and Hate Crimes in Europe Summary: Although the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people has improved in recent years in some European countries, prejudice, discrimination and hate-motivated violence persist, even in countries where same-sex relationships are relatively accepted and where marriage has been opened to all couples irrespective of their gender and sexual orientation. Because of discrimination, prejudice and violence, many people in Europe continue to hide their sexual orientation and gender identity, including from colleagues, friends, schoolmates and family members. According to a survey across European Union (EU) States recently published by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), almost 70% of the LGBTI respondents had always or often disguised their sexual orientation or gender identity at school. LGBTI individuals can face violence anywhere: on the street, in bars and clubs, even at home - sometimes from family members. An Italian NGO (AGEDO) that provides counselling to parents of LGBTI youth in Palermo described cases where teenagers have been sexually abused by their relatives as well as cases where they have been confined to or banished from their homes or referred to "sorcerers" supposedly to help them "fix" their sexual orientation or gender identity. Violence motivated by the real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity of the victim is widespread, although the exact extent cannot be known. According to the FRA, one out of four of the LGBTI individuals surveyed had been attacked or threatened with violence in the past five years. Unfortunately, only a minority of European countries collect comprehensive data on homophobic and transphobic hate crimes. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), 13 EU countries collect some kind of data on homophobic hate crimes, while only five collect data on transphobic hate crimes. However, only four of them provided information on these crimes to the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in 2011. Hate-motivated violence has a particular detrimental, long-term impact on victims. It also creates a broader climate of fear among LGBTI individuals, groups and communities and, especially when states fail to bring the perpetrators to justice, a pervasive mistrust in authorities. In order to effectively tackle hate crimes on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, authorities need to make improvements in several areas. Currently, there are gaps in legislation in many EU countries, while investigations and prosecutions of crimes with a hate motive are often flawed. There is little support for victims, who in turn may be unwilling to report the crimes to the police, and impunity prevails for the attackers. This briefing identifies such areas with illustrative case studies. It also provides information on homophobic and transphobic hate crimes in these countries and makes a number of recommendations to both national authorities and the EU. Details: London: AI, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 2, 2014 at: http://amnesty.ie/sites/default/files/Because%20of%20who%20I%20am.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Europe URL: http://amnesty.ie/sites/default/files/Because%20of%20who%20I%20am.pdf Shelf Number: 132602 Keywords: Bias-Motivated CrimesDiscriminationGays, Violence AgainstHate CrimesHomophobiaPrejudice |
Author: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Title: Violence against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Persons in the Americas Summary: The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights today is publishing a regional report on the violence perpetrated against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) persons or those perceived as LGBTI; persons with non-normative sexual orientations or gender identities and expressions; or those whose bodies differ from the socially accepted male or female standard. Some countries in the region have made significant progress in recognizing the rights of LGBTI persons, but there are still high rates of violence in all countries of the region. As the many testimonies included in the report show, this violence tends to be extremely brutal and cruel. Moreover, the everyday violence that affects LGBTI persons is often invisible, as it is not reported to the authorities or covered by the media. The report focuses on violence against LGBTI persons as a complex and multifaceted social phenomenon and not just as an isolated incident or individual act. For example, violence against intersex persons is based on prejudice toward body diversity and specifically toward those whose bodies differ from what is considered male or female. The violence suffered by intersex persons for the most part is different from that suffered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) persons. Many acts of violence against LGBT persons - often known as hate crimes -are better understood as part of the concept of violence based on prejudice toward non-normative sexualities and identities. Different sexual orientations and identities challenge fundamental heteronormative notions about sex, sexuality, and gender. In this sense, violence and sexual violence against LGBT persons are used to punish and denigrate those who do not fit into these concepts because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. This violence also has a symbolic impact, as it sends a message of terror to the entire LGBT community. The report addresses the varied forms of violence against each of these population groups. According to the Registry of Violence against LGBT Persons, which the IACHR maintained for a 15-month period in 2013 and 2014, gay men and trans women account for the majority of the victims of killings and acts of police abuse. Lesbian women and bisexual persons are particularly affected by intrafamily violence and sexual violence. Trans women, for their part, are the group most affected by police violence, especially in the context of sex work. In the vast majority of cases, they are caught up in a cycle of violence, discrimination, and criminalization which tends to begin at a very early age, because of the exclusion and violence they suffer in their homes, educational centers, and communities; this is reinforced by the lack of legal recognition of their gender identity in most countries of the region. Meanwhile, the violence that affects intersex persons is very different. Intersex children are often forced to undergo surgical operations and procedures that, for the most part, are not medically necessary, for the sole purpose of changing their genitals to look more like those of a boy or a girl. These surgeries, which are irreversible in nature, tend to be done without their consent - on newborn babies or very young children—and can cause enormous harm to intersex persons, including chronic pain, loss of genital sensitivity, sterilization, trauma, and reduced ability or inability to feel sexual pleasure. The report also analyzes how the situation of violence faced by LGBTI persons intersects with other factors such as ethnicity, race, sex, gender, migration situation, status as a human rights defender, and poverty. These groups can suffer an unending cycle of violence and discrimination caused by impunity and lack of access to justice. For example, there is a strong link between poverty, exclusion, and violence. LGBT persons who live in poverty are more vulnerable to police profiling and harassment, and therefore to higher rates of criminalization and incarceration. Likewise, LGBT young people generally have limited access to housing, which increases their risk of becoming victims of violence. Details: Washington, DC: Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, 2015. 284p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 26, 2016 at: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/ViolenceLGBTIPersons.pdf Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.oas.org/en/iachr/reports/pdfs/ViolenceLGBTIPersons.pdf Shelf Number: 140038 Keywords: Bias-Related CrimeGays, Lesbians and BisexualsGays, Violence againstLesbians, Violence againstSexual Minorities |