LGBT Forum Progress: The LGBTI community faced with discrimination and obstacles in the sphere of labor relations
"Discrimination at work based on gender identity was experienced by slightly more than a quarter of respondents, 26,9 percent of them"
New publication of LGBT Forum Progress and LGBTIQ Social Center entitled "Discrimination of LGBTI persons in the workplace and in the sphere of labor relations" provides an in-depth insight into the numerous problems and challenges that LGBTI people face in the workplace and in access to work in Montenegro, announced the LGBT Forum Progresa.
As they state, this publication contains an overview of research results on the current state and needs of LGBTI persons in the context of protection against discrimination in the sphere of employment relations.
"Additionally, it contains an overview of various forms of discrimination and harassment of LGBTI persons in the workplace, mechanisms of protection against discrimination for LGBTI persons and recommendations for working with LGBTI persons when providing support when looking for a job".
"The research that included 104 LGBTI people, aged 18 to 65, from all over Montenegro, showed that there is a high level of discrimination in the workplace, as well as expressed inappropriate jokes and comments related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity, ignoring and exclusion in the workplace, the lack of clear policies to combat discrimination, and an overall hostile environment in relation to LGBTI people," the organization said.
Key research findings
It is stated that slightly more than four fifths of respondents, 82,7 percent of them, stated that they personally experienced discrimination at work based on sexual orientation, while 36,5 percent of them also experienced discrimination at work based on gender.
"Discrimination at work based on gender identity was experienced by slightly more than a quarter of respondents, 26,9 percent of them," it states.
"Overall, the majority of LGBTI persons stated that they had personally experienced discrimination at work on any basis, a total of 67,4 percent of them. Among these respondents, a great fear of reporting discrimination at work was noted, so even 70 percent of them stated that discrimination has never been reported, for numerous reasons," shows the publication of the LGBT Forum Progress and the LGBTIQ Social Center.
The majority of LGBTI persons (55,8 percent) stated that none of their colleagues were aware of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
"Furthermore, 46,1% of LGBTI people said they felt they had been turned down for a job because of their real or perceived LGBTI affiliation, while just over four-fifths of them (82,7%) said they had failed to apply for a job because of the fear that they could be rejected because of their real or perceived belonging to the LGBTI community," the organization said.
As it is written, 87,5 percent of LGBTI persons stated that they heard unpleasant comments related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity at the workplace, and 91,3% of them said that they heard inappropriate jokes related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity. or gender identity.
"Additionally, 72,1% of LGBTI people believe that there is ignoring by superiors, and 75% that there is exclusion from team activities related to sexual orientation and/or gender identity".
"Almost half of respondents (48,1 percent) state that their employer does not have a policy, i.e. a document that deals with issues of discrimination in the workplace. In relation to the level of trust of LGBTI persons in institutions, the Institution of Defenders of Human Rights and Freedoms (90,4 .82,7 percent trust) and non-governmental organizations (62,6 percent trust), while the lowest degree of trust is enjoyed by the courts (52,9 percent distrust) and the prosecutor's office (XNUMX percent distrust)," reported the LGBTI Forum Progresa.
The majority of LGBTI persons (64,5 percent), as they say, believe that the laws that protect against discrimination in the workplace in Montenegro are bad, while 28,2 percent of them believe that the laws are good but poorly applied.
"Finally, the vast majority of LGBTI people believe that they would have problems in the workplace because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity," states the LGBT Forum Progres.
According to the LGBT Forum Progress, 98,1 percent of them believe that they would have problems in career advancement, 89,5 percent of them believe that they would have problems with salary increases, 91,3 percent of them believe that they would have problems with protection against discrimination, 83,7 percent of them believe that they would have problems with professional training and 82,7 percent of them believe that they would have problems accessing the same benefits as everyone else.
"This publication was created within the project 'Together towards the elimination of discrimination of LGBTI persons in access to work and in the workplace', which is jointly implemented by LGBT Forum Progres and LGBTIQ Social Center, with the support of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro," the announcement concludes.
( AO )