THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
GOAL 16. PROMOTE PEACEFUL AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, PROVIDE ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR ALL AND BUILD EFFECTIVE, ACCOUNTABLE AND INCLUSIVE INSTITUTIONS AT ALL LEVELS Target 16.1. Reduce the prevalence of violence Target 16.3. Increase confidence in courts and ensure equal access to justice Target 16.9. Strengthen social stability, and promote peacebuilding and community security
HOW LGBTQI PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND: Criminal legislation of Ukraine does not include the commission of an offense based on homophobia, biphobia and transphobia to the list of circumstances aggravating punishment. (p. 1 article 67 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine includes only the commission of an offense based on racial, national or religious enmity and hostility, sex). In 2018 Monitoring network of LGBT Human Rights NASH MIR Center documented 358 cases of homophobic/transphobic acts, discrimination, and other human rights violations towards LGBT in Ukraine. 34 cases are referred to the acts that took place in 2017, the remaining 324 acts took place in 2018 . In 30 cases, violations by law enforcement bodies were reported . Case: In March 2018, a Ukrainian NGO Parents’ Initiative TERGO organized a 2-day training for school and children psychologists and social workers in Poltava. The training took place at the rented private property (a hotel). In the middle of the training a group of 20+ men wearing masks entered the premises, destroyed printed materials, turned the furniture upside down and addressed participants and organizers of the training in aggressive manner. With the efforts of the hotel administration and police forces that arrived at the place, the right-wing activists were made leave. The organizers of the training submitted a written claim to the police officers demanding to investigate this case as a homophobic hate-crime. In spite of the facts that the police officers confirmed that they would proceed with the investigation, there was no progress with the case since March 2018, none of the attackers was held responsible or brought to the court. This case is just one among numerous similar incidents taking place in Ukraine lately.
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