IT Companies Remove up to 99% of Reported Homophobic Hate Speech in Lithuania

The third evaluation of the European Commission’s Code of Conduct on countering illegal online hate speech carried out by NGOs and public bodies shows that IT companies remove on average 70% of illegal hate speech notified to them across Europe. In the course of the current monitoring exercise, which took place in November-December, 2017, the

Nominations Open for Most Notable Human Rights Initiatives of 2017

From January 15th, the public is invited to submit candidates for the National Equality and Diversity Awards. Each year, this ceremony honors people, organizations, and initiatives deserving recognition for their work in the field of human rights in Lithuania. The Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson Agneta Skardžiuvienė believes that the awards ceremony, which has already become a

Belarusian activist: Russian repression is good for Lukashenko

Originally published on manoteises.lt Winter is an especially busy time for human rights activists, with lots of significant days, events and news to be presented to decision makers. This isn’t always easy in Lithuania, but in Belarus, it’s even more difficult, especially in the context of the worsening situation to the East. As Barys Zvoskau

Safety at School for Every Student: Possibility, or Utopia?

In Summer 2017, the National LGBT* rights organization LGL carried out an anonymous survey that gathered responses from 580 LGBT* high school students between the ages of 14 and 18. In their survey responses, the students revealed what is taught in Lithuanian schools and what LGBT* adolescents still in the process of discovering their sexual

In James Martin’s 2017 book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community can enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity in 2017, the Jesuit priest shares his memories of the terrorist attack that took place in a gay club in Orlando, Florida in 2016, killing 49 people. As millions

Minsk replaced its pride parade with a festival – and it worked

Judging from the 2016 Baltic Pride parade in Vilnius, Lithuania has finally became a country where the LGBT* community no longer has to jump through legal hoops at the last minute when they want to throw a party. Unfortunately, neighbouring Belarus doesn’t have as much to celebrate – but this doesn’t mean that the country’s

published on www.lady.tut.by For the last three years the support group for parents of the LGBTQ people is active in Minsk. With the help of psychologists parents learn how to understand and accept their children. Unfortunately, coming-out in Belarus often leads to conflicts and end of relationships with the parents. It’s especially difficult for parents

Minsk replaced its pride parade with a festival – and it worked

Judging from the 2016 Baltic Pride parade in Vilnius, Lithuania has finally became a country where the LGBT* community no longer has to jump through legal hoops at the last minute when they want to throw a party. Unfortunately, neighbouring Belarus doesn’t have as much to celebrate – but this doesn’t mean that the country’s

Season’s Greetings from LGL!

2017 was a year of exciting challenges and inspiring victories for the National LGBT* rights organization LGL. Thanks to your encouragement and support, LGL was able to take many important steps aimed at improving the LGBT* human rights situation in Lithuania. First of all, a breakthrough was finally made in national courts, securing human rights

Cooperation between NGOs and State Institutions: whose Move is it next?

On December 8th, 2017 member organizations of the National Equality and Diversity Forum held the national conference “The importance of NGO and state institutions’ cooperation in implementing policy measures against various forms of discrimination”. The conference focused on taking a closer look at organizations’ experiences, particularly those of organizations belonging to NEDF, working with state