Organizations call for commitment to the protection of queer people
On Wednesday, numerous non-governmental organizations called for a commitment to the protection of queer people on the part of the Swiss authorities. According to a community survey conducted by the research institute Gfs.bern, one in four LGBTIQ+ people have experienced physical or sexual assault based on their sexuality, gender identity or intersexuality at least once in the last five years.
The survey of the LGBTIQ+ community is based on a reference survey in the EU and allows Switzerland to be compared with other European countries for the first time. It is striking that LGBTIQ+ people in Switzerland reported more frequent experiences of violence and discrimination than respondents in the EU, as Amnesty International Switzerland announced on Wednesday.
The organizations - including Pink Cross and Queeramnesty - are also calling for the criminal standard on discrimination to be extended to include trans people and people with variations in gender characteristics. A national action plan against LGBTIQ+ hate crimes must also be implemented promptly and in full. Sensitization is needed in public institutions, especially in the healthcare system, in the asylum sector, in schools and in the police.
Regular prevention campaigns against anti-queer stereotypes and violence are also needed. Furthermore, helplines and advice centres for those affected by queer-hostile violence need to be institutionalized and their funding guaranteed. In addition, regular monitoring must be carried out to measure the effectiveness of measures.
"Like all people, we want to live self-determined lives. Free from hatred and violence. But we are increasingly in the crosshairs of discrimination and hate speech," Urs Vanessa Sager from Interaction, the national association for intersex people, is quoted as saying in the press release. (SDA)
