LGBT population does not trust security sector

Members of the LGBT population in Serbia have a low level of confidence in the security sector and think they are under threat. This is according to Tuesday's presentation of a research on vulnerable groups and security sector reform, which focused on the LGBT population. LGBT population does not trust security sector The findings of the six-month research, conducted by the Center for Public Policy Research, indicate that non-heterosexual individuals think their personal safety is threatened, even though a satisfactory legal framework for sanctioning all types of discrimination and violence against the LGBT population does exist. The result of this lack of trust in institutions that were researched (the interior and defense ministries) is the unwillingness to report cases of violence and discrimination, the conclusions of the research state. "The perception of police work is connected closely with the perception of the court system operation," leading researcher Jelena Radoman told a news conference. The reasons for the lack of trust are personal experience by LGBT individuals themselves or their acquaintances and "the political heritage of those institutions," Radoman noted. "The legal framework is fairly good right now, but the LGBT community remembers some events that threatened their safety and that makes them sensitive," research coordinator Svetlana Djurdjevic-Lukic stated. Previous experience with the police is the key factor that defines the LGBT population's opinion of the police and their expectations, the research states. The distrust related to the Serbian military comes partly from the lack of understanding of the military in the modern security context and ignorance regarding the current reform processes within the armed forces, the document says. The research was supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia Democratization Department within a project directed at consolidating the democratization process in Serbia's security sector, which is assisted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The survey is presented in Belgrade (Beta)

LGBT population does not trust security sector

The findings of the six-month research, conducted by the Center for Public Policy Research, indicate that non-heterosexual individuals think their personal safety is threatened, even though a satisfactory legal framework for sanctioning all types of discrimination and violence against the LGBT population does exist.

The result of this lack of trust in institutions that were researched (the interior and defense ministries) is the unwillingness to report cases of violence and discrimination, the conclusions of the research state.

"The perception of police work is connected closely with the perception of the court system operation," leading researcher Jelena Radoman told a news conference.

The reasons for the lack of trust are personal experience by LGBT individuals themselves or their acquaintances and "the political heritage of those institutions," Radoman noted.

"The legal framework is fairly good right now, but the LGBT community remembers some events that threatened their safety and that makes them sensitive," research coordinator Svetlana Đurđević-Lukić stated.

Previous experience with the police is the key factor that defines the LGBT population's opinion of the police and their expectations, the research states.

The distrust related to the Serbian military comes partly from the lack of understanding of the military in the modern security context and ignorance regarding the current reform processes within the armed forces, the document says.

The research was supported by the OSCE Mission to Serbia Democratization Department within a project directed at consolidating the democratization process in Serbia's security sector, which is assisted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.