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Description
The main problems this project wants to tackle are the pervasiveness of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ persons, the unwillingness of competent institutions to recognize these cases and negligible number of reports of cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ persons.
The main objective of the project is to strengthen the advocacy position of CSO-s through evidenting and monitoring of cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ persons. The specific objectives of our project are the following: 1) to standardize the evidenting and monitoring of cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ persons and to empower CSO-s for reporting and advocacy, 2) to strengthen the network for the documenting and monitoring of cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ persons and3) to empower LGBTIQ persons to be actively involved in the advocacy for their rights.
By building networks and strengthening the role of CSO-s, evidenting and monitoring of cases of violence and discrimination of LGBTIQ persons, advocating based on evidence, increased visibility and media coverage and direct legal and psychosocial support of LGBTIQ persons, this project strives to strenghten the mechanisms of protection of human rights and to contribute to the joint struggle against the brutal reality LGBTIQ persons in Croatia face every day.
The tackling of these problems requires action on multiple levels, including LGBTIQ persons, CSO-s working on the problems LGBTIQ persons are faced with and their human rights, relevant institutions and bodies and the media and the wider public.
Also, considering the fact that CSO-s which work on the protection of rights of LGBTIQ persons, have a very narrow or no influence on policy-making processes, this project is focused on the media in order to encourage a debate on the rights of LGBTIQ persons based on evidence.
Summary of project results
The project "Enough of the Brutal Reality - Protecting LGBTIQ Rights" aimed to address the prevalence of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals, the failure of authorities to recognize these crimes, and to support LGBTIQ individuals in reporting and understanding their rights.
Through building a collaborative and mentoring network, strengthening the role of civil society organizations (CSOs), documenting cases, evidence-based advocacy, increasing media visibility, and providing direct support to LGBTIQ individuals, the project successfully strengthened mechanisms for protecting LGBTIQ human rights. This included addressing hate crimes, hate speech, and discrimination and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression.
The project also aimed to enhance the advocacy position of CSOs by documenting and monitoring cases of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ people. Key activities included:
- Implementing standardized monitoring of LGBTIQ violence and discrimination cases (the Rozi Megafon Table), which is continuously updated and used for reporting and advocacy, such as creating the "Human Rights Report on LGBTIQ Individuals in Croatia 2018-2022."
- Successful collaboration with Queer Sport Split and organizations within the LGBT Center Split.
- Maintaining a system of legal assistance and counseling, as well as psychosocial support for LGBTIQ individuals. The project provided 86 forms of legal advice and representation, initiated or resolved 5 strategic lawsuits, and offered psychosocial support to 42 LGBTIQ individuals in Split and Zagreb.
Project activities received significant media coverage, with all press releases disseminated by HINA and other media outlets. Notably, the release of the "Report on the State of Human Rights for LGBTIQ Individuals in the Republic of Croatia 2018-2022: Rozi Megafon - Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - LGBTIQ Rights in Croatia Between Stagnation and Court Victories" was especially well-publicized.
The project "Enough of the Brutal Reality - Protect LGBTIQ Rights" successfully established collaboration and partnerships with Queer Sport Split and organizations within the LGBT Center Split. This included meetings, participation in organizational development workshops, information exchange on cases, social media posts, media appearances, and joint work on the Human Rights Report. This collaboration continued into 2023 through other projects.
A standardized system for monitoring violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals was developed. The case tracking table was put into permanent use, and a detailed needs assessment for organizations in this field, along with a new user needs assessment form, was created. Both documents remain in use after the project''s completion.
In June 2021, the Coordinator of Zagreb Pride was appointed to the Hate Crime Monitoring Working Group (under the Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities of the Government of Croatia) as a representative of the LGBTIQ community and organizations addressing and monitoring hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Working Group was established following the adoption of a new Protocol for Handling Hate Crimes. Zagreb Pride participated in advocacy for a better Protocol in February and March 2022, emphasizing the need for more representatives from civil society organizations, especially those dedicated to vulnerable groups. In January 2022, a meeting focused on the European Court of Human Rights judgment in Sabalić v. Croatia, where Zagreb Pride presented suggestions for general measures to address human rights violations. In December 2022, a Zagreb Pride representative discussed issues with reporting hate crimes using specific examples collected and documented in the Rozi Megafon Table.
During the project, five cases with strategic potential were initiated or managed. Notably, a positive first-instance judgment recognized rights related to informal partnerships in inheritance and tax relief for donations. The Constitutional Court''s decision in Zahtila and Others, based on Sabalić v. Croatia, is crucial for future hate crime cases.
The hate crime campaign had significant reach. A total of 83 individuals received various forms of legal support, counseling, and/or representation, and 39 individuals used psychosocial support services in Split and Zagreb.
The project''s key achievement was the publication and dissemination of "Rozi Megafon: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back – LGBTIQ Rights in Croatia Between Stagnation and Court Victories: Zagreb Pride''s Report on the State of Human Rights for LGBTIQ Individuals in Croatia 2018-2022," which received extensive media coverage.
Although the response to journalist workshops was less satisfactory, the project''s activities and press releases had a significant media impact, particularly the presentation of the Human Rights Report. Overall, the project met or exceeded most of the planned results and quantitative indicators, including the number of supported victims, strategic lawsuits, and media coverage.
The project aimed to advocate for amendments to the Hate Crime Protocol, and a key achievement was the successful introduction of a significantly improved protocol ("Narodne novine", number 43/21) as a result of Zagreb Pride''s advocacy and collaboration with other organizations. Additionally, during the protocol''s development, we emphasized the importance of including representatives from organizations with direct contact with victims from vulnerable groups in the Hate Crime Monitoring Working Group. Consequently, a representative from Zagreb Pride, who also led the "Enough of the Brutal Reality" project, was appointed to the Working Group, giving the LGBTIQ community a direct voice in this body.
Another major achievement was the initiation of five strategic lawsuits, particularly those won in the first instance or finalized (see details above).
The "Human Rights Report for LGBTIQ Individuals in the Republic of Croatia 2018–2022" is nearly twice as comprehensive as initially planned, covering a wider range of issues beyond just discrimination and violence, including the year 2022. It received substantial praise during its presentation and online.
Summary of bilateral results
A roundtable discussion on violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals was held in collaboration with NGOs working in the field of human rights protection. During the event, representatives from government institutions, the public sector, and human rights NGOs were informed about the issues of violence and discrimination against LGBTIQ individuals in Croatia. The partners contributed recommendations for addressing these issues and shared examples of best practices from Norway.