On 28 August, 2021 Eglė Kuktoraitė, Communication Manager at the National LGBT Rights Organization LGL, gave a presentation on “The Situation, Needs and Emotional Health of LGBT + Young People in Lithuania during the COVID-19 Pandemic” at the LGBT+ Conference “Colors” organized in Klaipeda for the prevention of bullying.

During the presentation, the LGL Communication Manager stated that when Lithuanian students are forced to hide their sexual orientation due to bullying, therefore, as the problem is hidden, it is believed that there are no problems with homophobia in educational institutions at all, although it is particularly pronounced when talking to students. In addition, some teachers initiate bullying themselves. E. Kuktoraitė called for a change in the attitude of teachers and teacher training on human rights.

Representatives of human rights and youth organizations, LGBT+ community, Klaipeda city municipality, politicians and other participants who participated in the conference not only reviewed the current situation of bullying among young people, discussed the consequences of the problem for the city and its residents, but also introduced welcome bullying prevention projects.

The conference also aimed to identify the main tasks that will help Klaipėda to become a leader in Lithuania in implementing the policy of prevention of bullying among young people and solving the related challenges. And the main goals set during the event were set out in a memorandum signed at the end of the conference.

The conference is part of the Klaipeda – European Youth Capital 2021 program.