Ilga Europe report records the largest increase in LGBTI violence in the last decade: Gay Help Line relaunches its action against hate phenomena
ILGA-Europe's annual report on the human rights situation of LGBTI people in Europe and Central Asia was presented today in Brussels. The report highlights 2022 as the most violent year in a decade for LGBTI people across the region, both in terms of planned and vicious attacks (two terrorist attacks outside LGBTI bars in Norway and Slovakia) and suicides, in the wake of growing and widespread hate speech by politicians, religious leaders, organizations, and media commentators.
https://www.ilga-europe.org/report/annual-review-2023/According to ILGA-Europe Executive Director Evelyne Paradis: "Hate speech, in all its forms, translates into actual physical violence. This year, we have seen that hate speech against LGBTI people is not just the words of fringe leaders or aspiring autocrats, but a real problem with disastrous consequences for individuals and communities.The Gay Help Line's listening, support, and monitoring of reports throughout Italy confirm these data.
This is particularly true among young people, where bullying is widespread via social media and violent family rejection following coming out. These situations are complicated by the lack of best practices that can be implemented in schools to ensure that the educational community can play a responsible role in welcoming and protecting them. In terms of safety, Gay Help Line has received numerous requests for legal and psychological support in recent years following attacks and harassment that reveal indicators of prejudice and criminal patterns based on homophobic and transphobic hatred.
To counteract the under-reporting of homophobic and transphobic hate phenomena, the service sends every year a report of the reports collected to OSCE-ODIHR, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (here is the latest report: https://hatecrime.osce.org/italy), and to the Observatory against Discriminatory Acts by the Police Force.
Furthermore, this year, Gay Help Line has joined and become a partner in the National Network for the Counteracting Hate Speech and Phenomena: to help track the phenomenon of homophobic and transphobic hatred conveyed in public discourse and individual actions, with the aim of leading shared, collaborative, and informed action to protect the human rights of all.https://www.retecontrolodio.org/
