Transcript Slide 1

ILGA-Europe Conference Paris
TRACE
TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
Open and Safe at work.lt (Lithuania), Beneath the Surface (Sweden),
Partnership for Equality (Slovenia)
www.atviri.lt
www.ytan.se
www.ljudmila.org/lesbo
CONTENT OF THE WORKSHOP
 Transnational cooperation TRACE
 National contexts and projects
 3 Pillars of TRACE:
 Research
 Communication and policymaking
 Experience exchange
 Discussion
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
The common objectives of the cooperating DP’s are to raise
awareness among stakeholders and key actors in working life on
national and EU level, in order to
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create an inclusive environment for lgbt;
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to collect and disseminate good practice;
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to carry out research;
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to foster partnership and develop sustainable networks on all
levels.
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
3 Pillars of TRACE:
 Research
 Communication and policymaking
 Experience exchange
The Swedish project
“BENEATH THE SURFACE”
The project will focus on working life in a
school environment focussed on sexual
orientation. We will address teacher
students and teachers as well as other staff
(employees and employers) within the Swedish
school system.
WHAT?
 Raise awareness on lgbt issues and visualising the
heterosexual norm in school
 Increase knowledge, and by that improve attitudes
 Develop methods on how to work with lgbt issues
within a school environment
WHY?
 The legislation is of satisfactory,
- … but still, there is a lack of openness and
visibility
 There is a common “political correctness”
- …but still, negative attitudes and prejudice
exists beneath the surface
 Trade unions are aware of their responsibility
- …but still, there is a lack of knowledege and methods
HOW?
 Different organisations from different sectors
 Develop training tools
 Train teacher students, teachers and other
staff in schools
 Raise awareness and disseminate
experiences in different forums
The Slovenian project
“PARTNERSHIP FOR EQUALITY”
3 national partners in DP:
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Trade Union Association (ZSSS)
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Employers association (ZDS)
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ŠKUC (NGO, co-ordinator)
SITUATION IN SLOVENIA
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Discrimination of sexual minorities in employment is still a taboo, one of most
invisible forms of discrimination and hard to prove;
The research into sexual orientation discrimination conducted in 2001 among
lgbt in Slovenia showed that 49.4% of respondents had experienced violence and
harassment because of their sexual orientation;
Public opinion on homosexuality is negative;
LGBT people are often excluded from the equal opportunities system within
employment;
Only 24% of interviewed lesbians were permanently or temporarily employed.
Due to this fear, lesbians and bisexual women, after finding employment, usually
do not risk homosexual socialising and stop attending clubs and other openly
lgbt places;
The new government (right oriented) opened the questions of the abortus, single
parents situation, special tax for unmarried citizens and couples without
children;
The Slovenian Parliament confirmed the same-sex partnership bill (which do not
provide basic social and some other rights) without civil dialogue with lgbt
NGOs.
THE AIM OF THE PROJECT
The aim of DP is awareness raising,
training and education of social partners
(trade unions, employers) for sustainable
development of anti-discrimination policy
within employment and work market, with
the goal to prevent discrimination and to
stimulate the inclusion of social categories,
de-privileged because of their sexual
orientation.
GOALS
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to increase the level of participation in labour market of
people, discriminated on the ground of sexual orientation;
to enable the conditions for stable integration of de-privileged
group into the labour market;
to raise awareness and educational level of employers and
trade unions about the role of inclusive employment policy;
to produce a code of conduct (rules, instructions) for
implementation of anti-discrimination policy for employers and
trade unions;
to stimulate the implementation of anti-discrimination policy
(on the basis of elaborated code of conduct);
to tackle, document and prevent the violations of human rights
on the ground of sexual orientation;
to stimulate organized actions of deprivileged groups within
trade unions and companies.
INNOVATION
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The partnership is aiming to find solutions for sustainable
implementation of anti-discrimination policy in employment in the
way, that was not used in Slovenia before. It is innovative in various
aspects:
by putting sexual orientation-discrimination in the front line, because
this form of discrimination was so far completely ignored in
employment;
by using standards of national and EU legislation in the struggle
against all kinds of discrimination in employment and labour market;
it will try to tackle, document and monitor discrimination on the
ground of sexual orientation in employment; this area still remains
due to the silence of victims and social homophobia “invisible” and
hidden;
by using combined education and training of both employers and
trade unions at the same time;
by putting the target group in the role of the partner (employers, trade
unions), which enables better cooperation and higher motivation of
the DP as a whole;
INNOVATION
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by addressing the target group (employers, trade unions)
indirectly. In the case that we would address the victims of
discrimination (same-sex oriented people) directly , this
would mean that they are far less accessible, because
most of the workers hide their sexual orientation at work;
the program is applicable for different branches of
employment;
the program is applicable for different aspects of
discrimination (sex, age, disability, race, ethnical
background, etc.);
it enables the NGOs from the field of human rights
promotion to cooperate and to network with social
partners, with the benefit for both;
it contributes to compatibility of social and civil dialogue.
EMPOWERMENT
The principle of empowerment of vulnerable groups and
individuals (sexual minorities) will be realized indirectly,
through awareness raising, training and education of
social partners for introduction of anti-discrimination policy.
With good practice of social partners the conditions for equal
opportunities, better inclusion and maintaining of
discriminated categories in the labour market will be created.
This will bring the changes of attitudes toward minority rights
within trade unions and employers, and develop positive
values and everyday practice. The final aim is to create such
environment of employment, where every form of
discrimination is declaratively unacceptable.
The Lithuanian project
OPEN AND SAFE AT WORK. LT
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Lithuanian project is tackling discrimination based
on sexual orientation in working life by building the
right attitude towards minority workers identities
and decreasing homophobia of the general public.
Representative research shows that 43 percent of
respondents do not object to employers decision
not to recruit a homosexual worker.
Every third citizen of Lithuania says that only a
total absence of lgbt people will not cause any
problems in the society.
GOALS
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to research the situation of sexual minorities in
working life and on the labour market for the first
time in Lithuania;
to create and test an open and safe e-learning and
working laboratory for LGBT and provide IT
training as the main means for building self
motivation and self-esteem;
to help workplace communities to understand the
diversity of staff and to tolerate sexual minority
employees to the extent that discrimination does
not prevent people to seek employment in more
open and safe environments.
ACTIVITIES
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Along with information distribution, the project
places special emphasis on changing the ethos in
workplaces so as to make sexual minorities feel
better included in their work communities. One
means to this end is a pilot equal opportunities
toolkit which will be based on research data and
co-operation on both national and transnational
levels;
Spreading our knowledge and know-how,
dissemination and influencing individuals,
organizations and society in both a national and
an international perspective.
CHALLENGES
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A homophobic reaction from the press and
society toward the project;
Promoting the issue of non-discrimination
on the grounds of sexual orientation is too
specific and is met with reluctance.
Therefore we have adopted a strategy to
raise the issue of diversity and equal.
OPPORTUNITIES
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The lack of prominent research data on
discrimination on the grounds of sexual
orientation leads to undermining of the
problem;
The low self esteem and motivation of lgbt
workers to come out in the workplace also
keeps the problem deep under surface.
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
3 Pillars of TRACE:
 Research
 Communication and policymaking
 Experience exchange
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
1 - Research
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How heteronormativity is constructed at
work?
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How to find, produce and analyse data for
studies of heteronormativity in school and
working life?
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
1 - Research
Joined reasearch activities:
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Research design
Preparation of the report (good practice of
non-discriminatory policy at work)
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
1 - Research
Research group:
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Experience exchange from different
studies;
Developing concepts, theory and
strategies;
Mutual discussion;
Transnational researchers’ conference
(one session focused on heteronormativity
in working life).
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
2 – Communication & policymaking
Main objective is raise awereness and
make sustainable changes in the
discriminatory structures in society and
among social partners.
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
2 – Communication & policymaking
Communication & policymaking group:
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Information leaflet;
Other communication tools (radio
programmes, newspaper articles, letters to
stakeholders, the participation in
conferences, the production of comic
strips).
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
2 – Communication & policymaking
Influences:
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Social dialogue (Communicating with trade unions
and employers);
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Civil dialogue (Communicating for example with
the EU Parliament, the EU Commission and PanEuropean networks and NGOs).
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
2 – Communication & policymaking
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What target groups are most important
(and possible) to adress?
How can we reach them?
What result/impact can be achieved (on
EU-level and on national level)?
How should TRACE work with
communication and policymaking?
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
3 – Experience exchange
Main objective is sustainable
communication between similar
organisations and institutions in the
participating countries, in order to make
sure that key actors can benefit from good
practice, methods and policies developed
and used in other countries.
TRACE TRANSNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR EQUALITY
3 – Experience exchange
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Linking relevant organisations and authorities
together, in different countries, in order to
exchange experiences on successful structures
and methods;
Strengthening and supporting
organisations/institutions that are new and
inexperienced in the field of non-discrimination
work;
Fact Finding Missions (key actors will be able to
meet, discuss, exchange experiences and
establish ways of communicating in the future).