In 2013 LGL, a national non-profit, non-governmental organization which advocates for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) in Lithuania, supported by the regional subdivision of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) ILGA-Europe, implemented a project “Documentation of homophobic and transphobic violence in Lithuania”.
During the project, victims of hate crimes committed on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity, as well as those who had any relevant information about such crimes or incidents, were asked to fill in a report form on LGL’s official website www.lgl.lt anonymously and securely. The provided information was intended to help better understand the difficulties members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community are facing, as well as society’s and law enforcement’s response to hate crimes committed on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
The research also aimed to promote cooperation between non-governmental organizations, the Police and the Prosecution Office in order to increase the accessibility of data on the extent of hate crimes committed in Lithuania and to encourage victims of hate crimes and those who have information about these crimes to officially report them to law enforcement institutions.
Twelve cases of hate crimes were recorded during 2013: one case of rape, four assault cases, four cases of property damage and three cases of psychological violence. In addition, 10 reports were received about LGBTI community members facing hate speech.
The report provides analysis of collected data and presents real stories which reveal the problems faced by LGBTI people in their everyday lives.
The publication is available in English and Lithuanian. It can be found in the publications’ section.
This publication is a result of a project “Documentation of homophobic and transphobic violence in Lithuania”, carried by the national LGBT rights organization LGL and supported by the international organization ILGA-Europe.
