ZAGREB, 16 May 2021 - Gender Equality Ombudswoman Višnja Ljubičić said on Sunday that different manifestations of intolerance towards sexual and gender minorities registered in 2020 indicated a significant presence of homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia in the Croatian society.
On the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, observed on 17 May with the aim of raising awareness of the need to fight discrimination and hatred against LGBTIQ persons, Ljubičić said that according to data from the Ministry of the Interior, seven criminal offences committed on grounds of sexual orientation were recorded in 2020. Those were mainly criminal offences of public incitement to violence and hatred and criminal offences of inflicting bodily harm.
Ljubičić also warned that a recently published study by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights entitled "A long way to go for LGBTI equality" showed that discrimination against sexual and gender minorities continued to be a pronounced social problem.
Also, according to the study results, 47% of respondents in Croatia almost never declare their same-sex orientation openly, and of the countries covered by the study, Croatia has the highest percentage of students who hide the fact that they belong to a sexual or gender minority (51%), Ljubičić said.
The International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is observed on 17 May because on that day in 1990, homosexuality was removed from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization.
In Croatia, the day has been observed since 2011 by a decision of the Croatian Parliament as part of the National Gender Equality Policy.
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