During 2023, the LGBT Forum Progress submitted a total of 114 reports to the Police Directorate (UP) for hate speech addressed to LGBTI persons in the public online space, the non-governmental organization announced.
From LGBT Forum Progres, they assessed that these reports are a response to the increase of negative comments on social networks that contain hatred, which are posted under news related to LGBTI topics, public events of the LGBTI community or public appearances of LGBTI persons.
"During the past decade of active work on monitoring public space, the LGBT Forum Progresa Hate Speech Monitoring Team submitted thousands of reports to the Police Directorate, which achieved the continuity of pointing out hate speech as a negative phenomenon, which is still ubiquitous in Montenegro. the process of reporting hate speech addressed to the LGBTI community plays a key role in the fight against discrimination and creating a safe environment for all LGBTI people in Montenegro," the announcement states.
According to them, this process is extremely important both for the integrity of the LGBTI community and for the development of society as a whole, "taking into account the fact that hate speech is often the first step towards further endangering physical security and violence against LGBTI persons".
LGBT Forum Progress said that in the coming period, through monitoring of public online space, they will continue with efforts to suppress hate speech against LGBTI persons, and that they will adequately inform the public about the prevalence of this phenomenon and the effectiveness of the response of key system institutions in this process.
"Finally, in order to strengthen the system's response to hate speech, especially in the northern region of Montenegro, it is also planned to implement training intended for officers of the Police Administration who work precisely on receiving reports, as well as representatives of the Police Administration for initiating misdemeanor proceedings, with with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of the use of available instruments to combat hate speech directed at the LGBTI community," the non-governmental organization concluded.
These activities are implemented within the project "Together against hate speech towards LGBTI persons" which is financed by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights of Montenegro.
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