Based on their long-term work within women and LGBTIQ+ human rights, Lesbian Organisation Rijeka – LORI and SOS Rijeka – Centre for Nonviolence and Human Rights noticed significant lack of available support for lesbians, bisexual, transgender and queer women and non-binary persons who experienced gender-based violence. Furthermore, violence against LBT women and non-binary persons in Croatia is on the rise which is confirmed by European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights’ research - every seventh lesbian and every sixth non-binary person experienced physical or sexual violence because of their identity (FRA, 2024).
About research
To assess the availability of support in Croatia for LBTIQ women and non-binary persons who have experienced gender-based violence, we conducted research among organisations that offer specialised services to victims of violence. This included organisations that offer psychological and legal counselling, SOS hotlines, shelters and other forms of help. LGBTIQ+ organisations were purposely left out, since the goal of the study was to map out the situation among organisations that offer help and support to women survivors of gender-based violence.
The research was conducted by LORI, SOS Rijeka and psychologist Maša Cek by using:
- an online survey sent to 49 organisations in Croatia
- individual interviews with representatives of three organisations with more than 15 years of experience working in field
Highlighted insights from our research:
- 54,5 % of organisations don’t have clearly mentioned target groups they work with on their web page
- 81,8 % of organisations don’t collect data on gender identity and sexual orientation of their beneficiaries
- 72,7 % of organisations highlight lack of knowledge on how to approach LBTIQ women and non-binary persons as their biggest challenge
Why is this important?
The results point towards an urgent need to develop inclusive systems of support and politics that would recognise LBTIQ women and non-binary persons as victims of gender-based violence. This study is meant to encourage organisation, institutions and all relevant stakeholders to think about solutions and to create safer and more available support.
You can find the whole report here..
This report is part of the project „REACH OUT – Developing adequate support for LBTIQ women and non-binary gender-based violence survivors”, which is funded by the EuroCentralAsianLesbian* Community and cofounded by the European Union. The project is implemented by Lesbian Organisation Rijeka – LORI and SOS Rijeka – Centre for Nonviolence and Human Rights.
