THE HAGUE, Netherlands (TheBlaze/AP) -- The European Union is calling for action to counter discrimination and violence against homosexuals after a major survey revealed many gays are living in fear across the 27-nation bloc.
Morten Kjaerum of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights says action is needed "to break down the barriers, eliminate the hate and create a society where everyone can fully enjoy their rights."
A video describing the results is below:
The survey of 93,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people showed that more than 80 percent of the group are verbally abused or bullied at school, nearly one in five feel discriminated against when seeking work and a quarter of the people have been attacked or threatened in recent years.
“High levels of under-reporting were also detected," Kjaerum said. "Just 22% of the most serious violent incidents against LGBT people in the five year preceding the survey were reported to the police."
An overview of the results reads:
The survey results provide valuable evidence of how LGBT persons in the EU and Croatia experience bias-motivated discrimination, violence and harassment in different areas of life, including employment, education, healthcare, housing and other services. The findings show that many hide their identity or avoid locations because of fear. Others experience discrimination and even violence for being LGBT.Most, however, do not report such incidents to the police or any other relevant authority. By highlighting and analysing the survey results, this report, together with the upcoming EU LGBT survey – Main results report, will assist the EU institutions and Member States in identifying the fundamental rights challenges facing LGBT people living in the EU and Croatia. It can thereby support the development of effective and targeted European and national legal and policy responses to address the needs of LGBT persons and ensure the protection of their fundamental rights.
The survey was released Friday at a conference in The Hague, Netherlands, on the International Day against Homophobia. Read the results here.
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