FRA ROUND TABLE

ADDRESSING STEREOTYPES AND HATE CRIMETARGETING LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

Naples, 12-13 October 2010, Castell dell’Ovo, Via Eldorado 3

Draft agenda

Tuesday 12 October

09.00 - 09.30Registration

09.30 - 10.00Opening:

  • The Mayor of Naples,Rosa Iervolino Russo
  • Rector of the University of NaplesFederico II

10.00 - 11.00Key note speeches:

  • OSCE/ODIHR, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department, Floriane Hohenberg
  • European Commission, DG Justice, Tomas Kukal

11.00 - 11.30Objectives of the meeting and introduction to the working groups

Matteo Bonini Baraldi, Pia Tirronen, FRA

11.30 - 13.00Working groups on themes 1 and 2(coffee available in the rooms)

13.00-14.30Lunch

14.30 - 16.00Working groups continue

16.00 - 16.30Coffee break

16.30 - 18.30Working groups continue

20.00Dinner hosted by FRA at the restaurant of the Gran Hotel Santa Lucia, Via Partenope, 46

Wednesday 13 October

09.00 - 10.00Introductory presentations:

  • Central Directorate of Criminal Police of Italy, Enzo Calabria
  • Metropolitan Police Service, London, UK, Darren Williams
  • Council of Europe, Human Rights Law and Policy Department, Daniele Cangemi

10.00 - 10.30Reporting of the working groups of the first day and discussion

10.30 – 10.45Coffee break

10.45 - 12.30 Discussion on theme 3 in the plenary: consultation on FRA survey 2011

12.30 - 13.00Closing and next steps

Background Information:
In 2009, the FRA published two reports on discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation in the EU Member States, one looking at the legal situation, identifying national differences in the strength of protection against discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, and the second concerning social aspects regarding rights and protection against discrimination, setting out the ways that LGBT people experience discrimination, and how it affects their lives. As the FRA reports on homophobia have shown, LGBT hate-motivated incidents, including hate speech, are a common phenomenon in the European Union today. Derogatory or offensive remarks, as well as verbal and physical assaults testify to the widespread persistence of homophobia in our societies.
Hate crime against LGBT persons is a prevalent phenomenon that has an impact on gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and women and transgender persons in various ways. Lack of reporting of incidents to police or other authorities - explained by the reluctance of LGBT victims themselves to report incidents, or by reluctance or insecurity on the part of police authorities to address these crimes - is a compounding factor of the problem. Tools for reporting incidents to the authorities are underdeveloped, and underreporting of hate crime can seriously hamper the ability of the authorities to fight against it effectively. There is little knowledge or research on the extent, nature, perpetrators or victims of hate crime across the EU, with the exception of a handful of Member States. Attacks on LGBT venues are a problem in some Member States. Hate speech by public figures is a particularly worrying phenomenon, as it affects publicopinion, negatively fuelling intolerance. In public statements LGBT persons are often depicted as unnatural, deviant, or socially destabilising. The Internet is a particular area of concern, as it is often used to incite hatred and the perpetrators are not easily found or prosecuted.
Attitudes of the general population have been shown to reach rather low levels, and insults and assaults to LGBT people have been reported in the target countries. The promotion of a culture of respect stresses the importance of the professional practices of the media and the responsibility they have to protect various groups and individuals from negative stereotyping or to publicise their positive contributions to society. Media organisations, including those operating on the Internet, should be encouraged to promote in their own practices a culture of respect, tolerance and diversity in order to avoid negative and stereotyped representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and the use of degrading material or sexist language. Practices developed in certain countries entail the drawing up of codes of conduct for dealing with matters related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in a non-discriminatory manner. Another good practice to be encouraged entails the organisation of campaigns to raise awareness of media promoting positive representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
There are a number of ways in which different actors can work together to make Europe’s societies, cities and communities safer for LGBT people. An important role is that of fostering prevention, assistance in reporting and adequate recording of homophobic and transphobic incidents, as well as raising awareness. According to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ recommendation of 31 March 2010, Member States should ensure 1) effective, prompt and impartial investigations, 2) that victims and witnesses of hate-motivated incidents are encouraged to report, and, most importantly, 3) that law-enforcement structures, including the judiciary, have the necessary knowledge and skills to identify such crimes and incidents and provide adequate assistance and support to victims and witnesses.
This Round Table will have a regional focus. The participating countries are: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy,Malta,Portugal andSpain.
Given the above, the meeting will explore good practices and means for addressing negative stereotyping of and acts against LGBT people in the EU. Specific questions will be addressed in the working groups.
Objectives of the Round Table:
  1. To review existing gaps and barriers for addressing homophobic and transphobic stereotyping, intolerance and crime.
  2. To provide concrete recommendations on how to address these barriers.
  3. To discuss a planned FRA survey on discrimination and hate crimes.
Topics of the Working Groups
Theme 1: Barriers and good practices in addressing homophobic and transphobic stereotypes and attitudes
In this Working group the discussion will focus on identifying the main barriers to addressing homophobic and transphobic stereotypes and intolerance in societies and media of the target countries, on developing a clearer vision for a planned and systematic approach to equality for LGBT people,on ways to establish partnerships for cooperation between different stakeholders and on the role of media in fostering a culture of pluralism, rights and respect.
Theme 2: Barriers intackling anti-LGBT intolerance, speech, intimidation and violence
In this Working group the discussion will focus on ways to ensure the development of effective tools to facilitate reporting and recording of hate motivated crimes and on practical measures to raise awareness among law enforcement authorities on LGBT issues and to provide adequate training in dealing effectively with hate crime incidents.
Theme3: The planned FRA survey on discrimination and hate crimes

European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights / Agence des droits fondamentaux de l’Union Européenne / Agentur der Europäischen Union für Grundrechte - Schwarzenbergplatz 11, A – 1040 Vienna, Austria,