Filenews 15 May 2023 - by Rafaela Dimitriadi
Cyprus ranks 29th in terms of LGBTIQ+ rights in the EU, according to a report by rights organisation ILGA-Europe published last week.
Attacks against LGBTIQ+ people
The report refers, among other things, to incidents of violence that occurred in our country. According to the report, a man interrupted an event of LGBTIQ+ families last September and distributed leaflets reading "Yes to the traditional family" and "No to the abnormal family". At the same time, he makes reference to the incident that took place in Limassol, when the owner kicked out of his business a gay couple because they kissed. Reference is also made to the attack on members of the board of directors of Accept - LGBTIQ Cyprus while preparing for a Pride event in Nicosia.
Prejudice
According to the report, the Government of Cyprus has not made any progress on the creation of programmes to tackle anti-LGBTIQ bullying. The LGBTIQ community in Cyprus met with various bodies as well as with the Minister of Education, in order to request the nationwide implementation of the "Code of Ethics against Bias in Schools" and the "Guide for handling and recording incidents of Prejudice".
As mentioned in the report, the Ombudsman noted that members of the Police should be trained on LGBTIQ+ issues in order to be able to better respond to hate crimes.
Positions of other countries
Malta leads the way in protecting LGBTIQ+ rights in the EU, while Poland ranks worst for yet another year. Globally, the worst position is held by Azerbaijan in 49th place, while Turkey ranks 48th.
See the table in detail
The report concerns ILGA-Europe's annual review of the human rights situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Europe and Central Asia. The publication includes events that took place between January and December 2022. It provides a snapshot of what happened during the year, nationally, regionally and internationally, and documents progress and trends in the human situation of LGBTIQ human rights.
