Skopje, 17 May 2023 (MIA) - The law on records of births should enter a parliamentary procedure, the implementation of current laws should be strengthened, and institutional capacity for dealing with crime caused by hate speech should be improved, civil society representatives told MPs, U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia Angela Aggeler and EU Ambassador to North Macedonia David Geer. 

The Inter-party parliamentary group for the improvement of the rights of LGBTI persons as part of the observation of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, held a meeting on Wednesday with ambassadors, representatives of civil societies, and MPs, highlighting challenges and North Macedonia's progress in terms of improving conditions of the LGBT community. Aggeler noted that the past period has seen significant progress, and that it should be a motive for further steps.

"Some things have changed for the better since I first came to North Macedonia a decade ago. This parliamentary group did not exist, there was no appropriate Law for Protection against Discrimination, but all of you have taken steps and today we can celebrate. You should be proud of what you have achieved, recognizing the fact that we have to move forward. A society is judged by how it treats the most vulnerable groups, and this is the right political environment for more legislative changes to protect these communities. We should not press too hard, such cold pragmatism does not work in everyday life when you, your family, friends are facing physical violence, online threats, and cruelty in your community," the Ambassador said, adding that when it comes to equality, legal protection must not wait.

Ambassador Geer agreed that progress is made, pointing to several examples where justice was on the side of the LGBT community.

"Last year there were also positive events, for example in Strumica one person was sentenced to six months in prison for violence against an LGBT person, this sends a strong message that the law is here for everyone," explained Geer.

The Ambassador noted that in the future there is a need for developing policies, national strategies, action plans, as well as improving the educational system that recognizes equality, dignity and respect.

"The European Union will continue to amplify these voices and promote human rights, showing solidarity and fostering an environment where all aspirations for universal declaration of freedom, equality, dignity, and rights will be respected," Geer said.

Lila Milić from the Citizen's Initiative for the Protection and Promotion of Transgender Rights "TransFormA", illustrated the issues trans people face.

"I have filed criminal complaints and asked for help many times before, but the Prosecutor's Office and police did nothing. Transgender women worldwide are subjected to hate murders, from a 2008 report there have been 4,039 murders, this number is just the tip of the iceberg, because the data is only available in countries where there are networks of trans organizations who monitor such cases, while many of them remain unreported and unrecognized," Milić pointed out, noting that the law on records of births serves only as a tool for political points.

"For years now, the law on records of births which regulates the legal recognition of gender, has been in and out of parliamentary procedure due to various political calculations to entice the electorate, which does not deliver on its own commitments. Their commitments are that every citizen should enjoy their human rights, and the transgender community, even in 2023, cannot realize the right to identify, the right to identify as they feel. What offers hope at the moment is the announcement that the law on records of births is to enter parliamentary procedure, and we hope that the MPs will vote on it his time, despite the long delay," Milić stressed.

The Commission for Protection against Discrimination said that in 2022, out of a total of 70 cases of discrimination, almost half were against this community.

"This discrimination usually comes in the form of disturbing speech that is mostly found on social networks, and when it comes to social networks there are great difficulties in terms of identifying who is behind the keyboards. It happens most often from fake profiles and web pages specifically created for such speech, and we have difficulties as a Commission to process such cases of which, unfortunately, there are too many," said Ismail Kamberi, head of the Commission. ssh/nn/

Photo: MIA