All Families Are Equally Important !
Virtual platform www.laisva.lt is revived!
Non-governmental Organizations Lithuanian Human Rights Center (LHRC), Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI) and National LGBT* rights organization LGL – react towards Parliament’s members attempts to constrict the family concept and some populistic statements made by some political parties and their candidates regarding family policy, and therefore seeks to remind that “All families are equally important!” For this reason, all Lithuanians are encouraged to sign a petition directed towards parliament’s members, which you can find on our platform www.laisva.lt in that way we can show that politicians should not intervene in people’s private life.
During autumn session, Parliament plans to discuss Constitutional amendment of article 38, which underlines that “Family life is emanating from traditional marriage between a man and a woman […] family arises from motherhood and fatherhood”. This amendment not only contradicts state’s international obligations, but also discriminates various Lithuanian families.
During the time of the campaign #LAISVA_LT 7 video clips and 10 photographic stories will be presented in platform www.laisva.lt and social media which remind us that Lithuanian families are distinct and diverse. Love, respect, loyalty, care, mutual understanding unite these families, and such values are common not only among families formed by marriage. In the presented stories and videos, family stories will be told by:
- Unmarried couple
- Same sex couple living together
- Couple having mutual or taking care of one of partner’s children
- Couple without children
- Single mother
- Grandmother raising her grandchild
“This campaign seeks to show our disapproval of Constitutional amendment of article 38 which is included in Parliament’s agenda this autumn session and also discriminating opinions about family diversity expressed by politicians and other public figures,” says one of the #LAISVA_LT campaigns initiators HRMI advocacy leader Mėta Adutavičiūtė. “Families in Lithuania should be strengthened by concrete policy measures not by declarations about necessity to preserve one family model. Regretfully the family concept is manipulated in the context of coming elections”, director of LHRC Birutė Sabatauskaitė expresses her concerns.
The electronic signatures gathered during social campaign #Laisva_LT in the platform www.laisva.lt will be given to Parliament’s members, encouraging them to not accept Constitutional amendment of article 38 and ensure that all families in Lithuania could enjoy their right to non-discrimination, respect and security provided by their state.
Diverse Lithuanian family stories in social media and platform www.laisva.lt will be presented between September 26th – October 6th.