EU’s anti-discrimination laws failing LGBT people
April 1st, 2009
Discrimination against LGBT people is widespread throughout Europe, according to a new report.
The EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) found that discrimination affects the lives of LGBT people in all walks of life, ranging from harassment in schools to discrimination in employment and health care.
13 of the 27 EU member states do not have legislation in place to protect LGBT people against homophobic hatred, violence or discrimination.
Estonia, Poland, Latvia, Bulgaria and Romania were named in the report as countries which have deliberately obstructed LGBT events such as gay pride.
The report Homophobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the EU Member States: Part II - The Social Situation also notes that hate speech by public figures is a particularly worrying phenomenon as it negatively affects public opinion and fuels intolerance.
“Many LGBT persons experience discrimination, bullying and harassment,” said FRA Director Morten Kjaerum. “There have been physical attacks and even deadly assaults against LGBT persons in some countries.
“These are alarming signals in an EU that prides itself on its principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination.
“We know that very few incidents are reported to the police or other public authorities. This means that crimes go unpunished, victims do not obtain justice, and authorities are not able to take the necessary action to respond to such crimes or prevent them from recurring.
“I call on the EU governments to improve the recording of hate crimes and to train their police accordingly. In addition, we need campaigns to inform everyone about diversity and non-discrimination, as making a complaint requires people to be legally aware.”
The EU’s current anti-discrimination legislation bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the context of employment, but it does not yet cover sectors such as housing, education, or health services. In order to remedy this situation, the EU Commission proposed more comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in July 2008.
Anastasia Crickley, Chairperson of the FRA’s Management Board, concluded: “Everyone in the EU must be able to live without fear and discrimination, regardless of their sexual orientation. I call upon all EU governments to support the newly proposed EU anti-discrimination legislation.”
comments