Turkey must urgently change law and policy to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from harassment and brutality on the streets, in homes, and in state-run institutions, according to a just-released report. Report author Human Rights Watch is calling on the European Union to make Turkey's membership of the Union contingent on ending deeply ingrained abuses and guaranteeing equal rights and protection for LGBT people. The 123-page report, "'We Need a Law for Liberation': Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights in a Changing Turkey,” documents a long and continuing history of violence and abuse based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Human Rights Watch conducted more than 70 interviews, documenting how gay men and transgender people face beatings, robberies, police harassment, and the threat of murder. The interviews also exposed the physical and psychological violence lesbian and bisexual women and girls confront within their families. Turkish authorities have repeatedly harassed human rights defenders and civil society groups working on issues of gender and sexuality. Early last month police raided the offices of Lambda Istanbul, a nongovernmental organization that has advocated for LGBT people's rights for over 10 years.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 23rd May 2008 - 11:09am