Gay, lesbian and transgender people face shocking levels of violence, discrimination and abuse across Europe, with gaps in EU and national legislation robbing them of justice and creating a climate of fear, a new report by Amnesty International says.
The Independent notes that Amnesty's report detailed cases of people killed, savagely beaten and doused in petrol because of their sexuality, with many victims struggling to get justice or support from police and judicial authorities ill-equipped to deal with homophobic violence. 'Lack of legislation has a fundamental impact on how these crimes are dealt with by state authorities,' Marco Perolini, Amnesty's expert on discrimination in Europe and Central Asia, is quoted as saying. Statistics released in May by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights found that one in four people in the bloc had faced violence because of their sexuality, with more than half reporting discrimination. Activists worry that those statistics could worsen as the EU expands to include more socially conservative nations, the report notes. Full report in The Independent Report: Because of who I am - homophobia, transphobia and hate crimes in Europe