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Description
The project aims at improving the implementation of international human rights standards in Lithuania, encouraging the execution of existing international commitments and raising greater popular support for these changes.
The main objectives of this project are
1) to monitor the implementation of international human rights standards and to promote the harmonization of the Lithuanian legal framework in accordance with these standards to ensure that the rights of vulnerable communities (esp. women and LGBTI+) are enacted;
2) to strengthen popular support for groups that face violence, discrimination, and hate crime (especially women, LGBTI+, ethnic, and religious communities) and to promote the support for legal and political initiatives aimed at ensuring their rights.
To pursue these objectives, we will join advocacy, communication, awareness raising, and civil society involvement activities. In order to improve the implementation of the rights of these vulnerable communities’ suggestions for change in legislation will be prepared and partner organizations will actively participate in working group meetings and other political initiatives. Together with the advocacy-based activities, action will be taken to promote civil participation. Partners will organize public discussions and demonstrations, initiate petitions, posts on social media, create social advertisements, and provide accessible information about the principle of equal treatment using contemporary and effective instruments (e.g. animated videos, documentary films, etc.).
The target groups of this project are national and regional decision makers, representatives of human rights NGOs, victims of gender-based violence, communities that are affected by hate crime as well as the moderates of the civil society, especially the youth, who lack knowledge about human rights.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the gap between international HR standards and the Lithuanian legal framework by focusing on two areas - (1) ratification of the Istanbul Convention or the transfer of the provisions of the convention to the national legal framework and (2) implementation of the rights of LGBTI+ persons - and addressed the widespread negative attitudes in society towards vulnerable persons, especially those experiencing violence, discrimination or hate crimes. The main target groups of the project are representatives of the state authorities who make decisions on a national and regional scale, representatives of human rights NGOs, persons who have experienced gender-based violence or violence in the intimate environment, members of communities vulnerable to hate crimes (ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTI+ communities, etc.) and a moderate society (especially youth) that is affected by negative attitudes and lacks high quality information about the principles of human rights.
The main activities of the project were constant advocacy, communication with legislative representatives and raising public pressure on certain issues, submitting proposals for changes to legal acts, organizing round table discussions with representatives of institutions and representatives of vulnerable communities. Within the framework of the project, the first qualitative research of LGBTI+ couples in Lithuania was carried out, education was carried out for young people about gender stereotypes and gender-based violence. 3 successive awareness-raising campaigns were implemented, which included an advertising campaign, constant communication in the media and social media, film screenings and public discussions, preparation and distribution of video clips, mastering the petition tool, organizing a public support campaign.
Overall, the project contributed to the improvement of Lithuania''s legal base in accordance with human rights, strengthened the voice of vulnerable communities in society and their representation at the institutional level, increased the sensitivity of a part of society to discrimination and hate crimes. The project combined the forces of NGOs and academics - the partner KSPPC contributed significantly with its expert knowledge in the advocacy of the Istanbul Convention and expanding activities to the regions, the partner LSMC contributed with academic research, which acted as a basis for consolidating the rights of LGBTI+ persons in advocacy and communication.