Enhancing capacity to advocate for LGBT Rights

Project facts

Project promoter:
Malta Gay Rights Movement
Project Number:
MT03-0003
Target groups
Minorities
Status:
Completed
Initial project cost:
€28,098
Final project cost:
€27,778
From EEA Grants:
€ 25,000
The project is carried out in:
Malta

Description

Since there is a lack of LGBT awareness, the project is aimed at the coordination of advocacy at national level, organise events, lobby government departments and institutions intended to build the capacity of the organisation to address a number of policy and programmes areas while enhancing the capacity of Malta Gay Rights Movement to advocate for the rights of the LGBT community in Malta in a range of policy areas such as education, health, the elderly, judiciary, the police, healthcare providers, prison wardens and educators. The project addresses a number of objectives: Advocacy and human watchdog role, active citizenship,Democratic values, including human rights, promoted, Provision of welfare and basic services. The project contributes towards a number of outcomes: Advocacy campaigns on crucial human rights issues implemented, Increasing advocacy and watchdog roles of NGOs and awareness raising campaigns. Minorities are expected to benefit, in particular LGBT.

Summary of project results

Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral to every person’s dignity and must not be the basis for discrimination or abuse. But in spite of this, Malta has a low tolerance for such people and still has a long way to go before it can claim to provide equal rights and a safe environment for its LGBT citizens. The LGBT community faces a lot of problems, these include high incidence of bullying in schools being reported, experiences of discrimination in the workplace, discrimination in accessing goods and services, incidents of violence and harassment, discrimination in the detention conditions of transgender prisoners and under-reporting of hate crimes to the police among others. The project aims to address some of these issues through the recruitment of a policy and programmes officer on a part time basis. This would greatly increase the capacity of MGRM to develop a number of advocacy initiatives. Such a person was hired and although the actual identification and recruitment of a staff position proved problematic but a service agreement with the government for a full time staff member for a period of three years with the possibility of renewal was negotiated. Most targets for the project were met: 1) advocacy campaigns were implemented by holding 3 meetings with transgender inmates and 2 meetings with the director of prisons, a policy document was drafted but not finalised due to issues with prison management, and prison conditions for transgender inmates were improved; 2) advocacy and watchdog roles of the NGOs were increased by mentioning homophobic and transphobic bullying in the policy, meeting with Parliamentary Secretary for Health on inclusion of gender reassignment surgery in National Health Service, also plans for setting up a Gender Clinic were discussed; 3) policy initiatives were addressed and a policy on treatment of transgender youth in education was developed; 4) local communities were mobilised; 5) awareness rising campaigns on human rights were implemented by publishing life histories of older LGBT people, developing workshops for children and adolescents, organising 2 IDAHO events (target – 3), and holding 2 Pride Weeks; 6) aid mechanism tackling persistent concerns were developed by holding a meeting with Police Commissioner, developing good practice guidelines in responding to LGBT hate crimes, identifying training gaps of police in relation to LGBT issues, and submitting a proposal for training to a Minister.

Summary of bilateral results