More and more hate crimes are being reported to the Swiss LGBTIQ helpline
Published: Friday, May 17th 2024, 05:50
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Last year, 305 cases of verbal abuse or attacks on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex or queer people were reported to the Swiss LGBTIQ helpline. This is more than twice as many as in the previous year.
The rapid increase in reports shows that the significantly more LGBTIQ-hostile climate in the media and politics has real consequences for the safety of such people in Switzerland.
This was announced on Friday by the Transgender Network Switzerland (TGNS), the Lesbian Organization Switzerland (LOS) and the gay organization Pink Cross. The three LGBTQ umbrella organizations operate the LGBTIQ helpline in Switzerland. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.
Clearly the most reports from Zurich
The helpline has been recording reports of such "hate crimes" since 2016, according to the three associations. The aim is to make the extent of violence and discrimination visible because, according to the associations, there are no comprehensive national statistics in Switzerland.
Only 61 reports were received in 2020, 92 in 2021, 134 in 2022 and now 305. Almost 70 of the cases involved verbal abuse or insults that were experienced or observed. According to the "Hate Crime Report" published on Friday, 64 people suffered physical violence.
Almost half of all reported cases come from the canton of Zurich (131). As in the previous year, this was followed by the canton of Bern with 36 cases, the canton of St. Gallen with 27 cases, the canton of Aargau with 22 cases and the canton of Vaud with 14 cases. 15 percent of "hate crimes" were reported to the police.
305 telephones ring in Bern
With a campaign entitled "305 voices against hate", the three LGBTQ umbrella organizations wanted to draw attention to the "intolerable situation" on Bern's Bundesplatz on Friday morning. 305 telephones were to ring simultaneously, representing the messages received by the 2023 helpline.
In their press release, the three organizations also describe the campaign as a "wake-up call". Politicians need to do more in this area. Broad prevention and awareness-raising measures are needed in society. Training for law enforcement agencies and victim support centers is also necessary.
There is also a lack of money for counseling and support services for those affected. Almost all of the services offered by LGBTQ umbrella organizations depend on donations and are "precariously financed".
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