Accoglienza per LGBT+ vittime di violenza
Supporting young people aged 16-26 who are victims of violence and abuse within their families or forced out of their home because they are LGBT+.
Starting date
30 April 2023Duration
12 monthsRealized by:
Gay center / Gay help lineObjectives
Guaranteeing continuity of service to the Gay help line and the “Refuge LGBTQ+” shelter by providing competent staff 365 days a year, in addition to mediators and counselors who work in synergy with Gay center volunteers.
Helping “Refuge LGBTQ+” shelter users to reach independence and access the services available locally, by offering education and vocational training opportunities in order to provide them with the tools to be reintegrated into society.
Providing all users with the professional support of psychologists, mediators, doctors and lawyers, as well as an external educator and trainers, for free.
The project includes integrated actions to support young LGBT+ individuals who experience domestic violence by defining a customized plan to escape their situation of discrimination, including a family mediation whenever possible.
Some youths are offered to stay at the “Refuge LGBT+” shelter; all of them are provided with legal, psychological and medical support, counseling and mediation.
Guests remain at the “Refuge LGBT+” shelter until they become independent, but they are granted support even after they are out of the shelter and after the end of their work with the consultants, just like all other users.
In Italy there is no other dedicated shelter like “Refuge LGBT+”, so often LGBT+ people are not protected and remain at risk for further violence.
In this context, the project aims at providing tools for mediation and monitoring in the case of minors protected by the law. It also provides a physical point of reference for adults who can’t find other institutional support.
Every year in Italy around 20,000 homo/bi/transphobia episodes are reported to the Gay Help Line 800 713 713 service. Among these, around 300-400 are cases of LGBT+ youth (minors and adults up to 26 years of age) experiencing severe family abuse.
Discrimination at home can be particularly harsh, and it can lead to a teenager being forced out.
The project responds to such cases providing a shelter service alongside the Gay Help Line. In its “White Paper on Services”, the Ministry for Equal Opportunities mentioned Gay Help Line as the point of reference for the Italian LGBT community. It also received recognition by EU Commission at the Equality Summit, the meeting of all European Ministries for Equal Opportunities, in 2009 when the service was presented as a best practice to be reproduced in other states for its support to lesbian, gay and transgender people.
