26th September 2023
Reporting Discrimination: Survey Reveals Barriers faced by Trans Individuals
ILGA Europe presented disaggregated data from a survey on LGBTI+ people, analyzing intersectionality. One of the biggest problems we face in our work is that people who experience discrimination or harassment, often do not report it to the responsible institutions. This is an extremely common phenomenon when it comes to gender identity based discrimination.
When asked about the reasons why they did not report the discrimination to the authorities, most of the interviewed transgender persons said that they believed that nothing would happen/change, they also said that they did not trust the authorities, that they felt too hurt or traumatized by the incident of discrimination, and that they feared the intimidation by perpetrators.
It is important to note that the numbers vary depending on other characteristics of a person’s identity. For example, more transgender persons with disabilities and persons belonging to ethnic minorities mentioned lack of trust in authorities as a reason for not reporting. The latter group is also more likely to feel fear of intimidation by perpetrators.
A qualitative study is currently being conducted at the Office of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson (OEOO), which will allow us to learn more about the experiences of transgender people living in Lithuania. The conclusions drawn on the basis of the interviews will be included in the upcoming publication. These activities are a part of the project Centering the Voices of Transgender People, carried out together with the Equality and Anti-Discrimination Ombud in Norway
OEOO does not receive many complaints of discrimination based on gender identity. One of the main reasons is that this ground of discrimination is still not included in the Law of Equal Treatment. However, during consultations, transgender people talk about frequent experiences of discrimination in work, education and other areas. Equal opportunities ombudsperson Birutė Sabatauskaitė repeatedly emphasized the importance and necessity of amending this law.
Until the necessary changes are made, the OEOO encourages transgender people who have experienced discrimination to file complaints – some cases may be classified as gender-based discrimination and investigated.
The project is funded by EEA and Norway Grants.
