May 2022 - Page 3

The Informal Association – Coalition for Equality – has published a report on the implementation of the Right to Protection Against Discrimination in 2021, which includes the rights of children, persons with disabilities, women, LGBT people, non-dominant religious associations, ethnic minorities, foreigners, conflict victims, refugees and displaced persons. Includes a review of the state of the media.

Speaking about the challenges facing the LGBTQ community in 2021, it was noted that during the pandemic, the median monthly income of community members was reduced by three times to 300 GEL. This points to the lack of attention to the needs of LGBTQ people in the state anti-crisis policy. In addition, observations of a group of WISG medical and social service recipients indicate a growing number of community members moving abroad.

The report notes the increased rate of prosecution on the grounds of SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity), but notes that there is a significant difference between the “SOGI mark identified by law enforcement and the statistics of violence experienced by community members.”

In addition, when talking about the challenges facing LGBTQ people, it is said that there are no trans-specific medical services and guidelines. The problems such as the lack of public services for victims of hate crimes, the LGBTQ community is not given the right to freedom of assembly, still persists. It also mentions the historical decision by the European court on the case of May 17 2013 in which the state was held accountable.

The report also includes recommendations to the Government of Georgia, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Parliament and the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs, and the Ministry of Education and Science. Directed.

Coalition for Equality is an informal association established with the support of the Georgian Open Society Foundation, which includes the Georgian Open Society Foundation, the Center for Social Justice, the Rights of Georgia, Safari, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, the Women’s Initiative Support Group, the Georgian Democratic Initiative, the Human Rights Initiative, and Equality Movement. 

There are fewer opportunities for LGBTQ community members and supporters to socialise and get to know each other in a face to face manner. The spaces where we can share knowledge and experience with each other, take care of each other’s empowerment, and draw up a common plan for fighting for equality are even rarer. This will create a much stronger precondition for changing the country for the better.

The Georgian Democratic Initiative (GDI) has decided to make up for this shortfall and has applied for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for funding. The GDI decided to set up an LGBTQ activist camp and involve Tbilisi Pride in the process, which helped the organisation connect with active community members and future activists, as well as people working for equality.

A 3-day camp was planned with the support of the Swedish government together with UNDP. It was held in Kakheti on April 26-28 and was attended by about 30 young people. A free and equitable educational environment was aimed at connecting community members, gaining new knowledge and experience, and equipping them with tools that would assist in activism.

Activist camp shared information on various topics such as: the history of activism in general, including the history of Georgian LGBTQ activism,  mechanisms for protecting our rights, detainees rights, as well as administrative detention practices and trials, victims’ rights and hate crimes, freedom of expression and hate speech. The mentioned topics were discussed with the members of the camp by experienced professionals – Giorgi Mshvenieradze, Mari Kapanadze, Eduard Marikashvili and Mariam Kvaratskhelia.

According to GDI Director of Civil and Political Rights Mari Kapanadze, holding such camps is especially important in the context of the growing aggression in the country and is aimed at equipping community members and supporters with tools to help them, including in communicating with government officials.

“Given the aggressive outlook in the country and the fact that the state does not respond to acts of violence, moreover, it prevents activists from exercising their right to freedom of assembly. Having such information is especially important for people who are involved in activism and have contact with the police, law enforcement or aggressive groups,” said Mari Kapanadze. “I think it will have a positive effect on changing the aggressive outlook in the country, because the main contribution to these changes is made by people who think their rights are being violated.”

Mariam Kvaratskhelia, co-director of Tbilisi Pride, noted that the camp environment helps to bring community members closer, strengthens each other, and helps find supporters.

“GDI works in two directions, as lawyers, we legally assist in the questioning process, when in the criminal case they are held as a victim, and the second direction is educational initiatives, where we share our experience, knowledge and information with people. “, – Mari told us.

Gathering community members in the camp environment turned out to be an unforgettable experience for the participants as well. According to one of the participants, Nini, the participation in the camp allowed her to distance herself from the environment for a short time, which does not allow her to express herself freely, and also she was greeted with a comfortable environment. 

“During these 3 days, we received a lot of information that will help us in our activism, besides, the camp space created a homey, warm environment, which many members of the community often lack. I am glad that we are together, we strengthen each other. It is also important that you get away for a while from an environment that does not allow you to express yourself freely, ”Nini tells us.

It was especially important for Nika [name changed] to meet people with different experiences, however, he believes that the information received will help him in his professional activities.

“It was especially interesting that everyone here has different experiences. Some are activists or work in other fields, many also have experience of participating in rallies. I have not taken part in any protest so far, I was only at the solidarity protest on July 6. The most important thing I got is to get to know the members of the community, the people who share a common opinion, are involved in a common struggle. In addition, I will use the information obtained here in the future and define many things much better,” – said Nika.

Another member of the camp, Mariam, is a social worker who is a supporter of the LGBTQ community and intends to take a more active role in strengthening the community after participating in the camp.

“It is important for me to have proper knowledge of legal issues and it is very important for the members of the community, because some of them have certain risks, for which they need proper information to aid themselves. Community members need to know better what the responsibilities of the state are and how they should be able to access health services. However, the more similar meetings there are, the more awareness we will have and the more we will share our knowledge with others. In this camp, in addition to community members, social workers, lawyers or psychologists also participated and we often have less knowledge about the needs of community members, I had some professional contact with LGBTQ people, but the camp showed me better what I can do. In order to become a dignified society, we must take care of the elimination of human rights violations, and I am going to work very actively in this regard and contribute to the strengthening of equality,” Mariam said.

Mariam, Nika and Nini’s admiration is shared by other members of the camp, as evidenced by the comments made at the concluding meeting. This experinece helped them in strengthening of their identity and in planning their future activism.

If you have not taken part in such activities before or you are not avoiding getting involved in new ventures, in the future you should follow Tbilisi Pride’s Facebook and Instagram page and join an initiative that appeals to you.

According to Mariam Kvaratskhelia, Tbilisi Pride is open to all those who do not like the situation in the country and want to change the environment for the better.

“I think that members of the LGBTQI community or any person who wants to change the environment for the better, who thinks that the situation in the country is not healthy, that we do not have a free and equal environment, that we are in an economically difficult situation, who suffer from political polarization. The rights of their friends are violated and they want to create an equal environment, they should be involved in similar activities and gain more knowledge to have more arguments, develop activist tactics and better understand how to do activism properly, how to fight for change, how to transform the situation. Also, get to know likeminded people who struggle with the same problems. There were a number of people in this camp who mentioned that they did not know the members of the community, had not had a similar experience before and were delighted to meet a similar environment. It is important to understand that we are not alone, we have each other, we can encourage each other, we can share knowledge and experiences, we can write a plan and we can fight together for equality. If all of the above factors are important for you, you should join similar activities, ”said Mariam, she hopes that more people, community members or supporters will be involved in future activities to share the knowledge gained with others.

For the participants of the Forum for Democracy in Yerevan, EU Ambassador to Armenia Andrea Viktorin explained the importance of democracy and freedom of speech.

She said that democracy, the rule of law and fundamental freedom are closely linked and that this relationship strengthens one another. Democracy is not a one-time process, it is the result of daily work and it is important that everyone participates in it. She explained that democracy is an environment in which anyone can enjoy equal rights, express their free will, have the opportunity to vote in decisions, and be able to hold accountable persons accountable. Democracy means active involvement in government activities in accordance with the rule of law. The ambassador said that this could not be achieved at once and would require long-term efforts.

According to the quiz, there are challenges that affect democracy around the world. Armenia has also faced such serious challenges as, for example, the Covid-Pandemic, the 44-day war, the post-war situation, and the recent impact of the Russian war on Ukraine. She noted that there is no peace and security without democracy. These challenges have important social, psychological and economic consequences and are difficult to overcome in terms of human rights. The ambassador named the organisation of transparent early parliamentary elections in 2021 as the most important achievement, despite the short pre-election time and the pandemic.

Victorin noted that the elections reflect the will of the people for the country to continue on the path of democracy and reform, in which the role of free media is great. She stressed that the EU supports media freedom and pluralism as one of the pillars of modern democracy and a forum for open and free debate.

Armenia needs a strong civil society, Victorin said. Active public involvement is important to achieve political change. She noted that human rights defenders and NGOs that defend the rights of women and children, fight domestic violence and support the LGBTQ community have become targets of criticism and hatred. The ambassador said that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not selective, everyone has equal rights, regardless of race, nationality, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.

Victorin called the criminalisation of violence by parliament in 2020 a positive step and explained that under the close Armenia-EU partnership, the EU is helping Armenia strengthen democracy, strengthen the rule of law, protect human rights and create a peaceful and secure environment for its people.

Civil Movement – Voice that fights for  Workers’ Rights, plans to establish a social café to host students, workers, and anyone who needs space to exchange ideas, make social transformations, and hold public lectures.

“Our goal is not to earn money. Our goal is to have a community space, a meeting place, where there will be cheap food for everyone, the opportunity to engage in the fight for a better society,” the statement said.

The voice calls on supporters to support it and also publishes a list of items you can contribute to the construction of the cafe. For a cash donation, you need to keep an eye on the movement’s Facebook page.

Civil Movement – A voice fighting for workers’ rights, better working conditions, pay and security, and also standing by those students whose return to higher education on campus has been a problem and demanding a hybrid teaching format from TSU.