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Have you encountered hate speech and harassment? Answer questionnaire by 11th of November!

If you are a member of a minority group (people whose mother tongue is not Finnish, foreign citizens or persons with immigrant backgrounds, Finnish Roma, Samis, disabled people, members of sexual and gender minorities, and members of religious minority groups) and if you have personally experienced harassment or hate speech, please answer questionnaire by the Finnish Ministry of Justice by 11th of November.

The purpose of the survey is to gain more information about hate speech and harassment and their impacts. In addition, the survey is used for deliberating how hate speech and harassment could be prevented.

The questionnaire responses will be handled confidentially and they will not be handed over to third parties. The survey report will be prepared in such a manner that no individual respondent can be identified.

You can also sign up for a personal interview by expressing your willingness for this in the questionnaire. In the interview, there is a more detailed discussion about the hate speech and harassment you have experienced and the impact it has had on you and your loved ones.

The survey is conducted by Owal Group Oy. The questionnaire responses will be used in the “Survey of experiencing hate speech and its influence on the feeling of safety by members of different minorities”.

Seta’s letter to Turkish authorities on violations against Kemal Ördek and LGBT Pride Parade

Puheenjohtaja Panu Mäenpää ja kaksi kirjettä Turkin viranomaisille, joissa vaaditaan ihmisoikeusaktivistin pahoinpitelyn sekä hlbti-marssiin kohdistuneiden voimatoimien selvittämistä ja sateenkaari-ihmisten turvallisuuden turvaamista jatkossa.

During this summer Turkish authorities have Seta send a protest letter to Turkish authorities Sebahattin Öztürk and Ahmet Davutoğlu on regards of ill-treatment suffered by human rights defender Kemal Ördek and participants of LGBT Pride Parade.

Additional information on LGBTI News Turkey:
Raped and assaulted, LGBTI activist Kemal Ördek says: ”I´m not well…”

 

4th of August at Helsinki

Dear Sebahattin Öztürk and Ahmet Davutoğlu

We are writing to express our concern over the ill-treatment suffered by Kemal Ördek, human rights defender and founder of the Red Umbrella Sexual Health and Human Rights Association, together with hir lawyer at Esat Police Station in Ankara.

Ördek, an internationally highly respected defender of transgender and sex worker rights, was a victim of sexual assault, theft, threats and insults by three men in hir house on 5 July 2015. Ördek managed to run to a police patrol car when the perpetrators took hir to the ATM to take out money. The threatening behaviour of the perpetrators towards Ördek continued in the police vehicle and at the police station.

The police did not take the assault seriously, insulted Ördek, colluded with the perpetrators and released them without carrying out an effective investigation. After their release the perpetrators continued to harass Ördek via phone.

We call on the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into the events of 5 July and the actions of the police, and ensure that Kemal Ördek receives appropriate protection against threats.

We are concerned over the safety of Kemal Ördek and will continue to follow the investigation process.

Furthermore, we are deeply concerned that police used unwarranted force, using tear gas, water cannons and rubber pellets against individuals who were peacefully assembling for the Istanbul LGBT Pride Parade on 27 June 2015.

We call on the Turkish government and authorities to combat all forms of discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people and sex workers, and ensure that all victims of crime are treated with respect and dignity and their cases taken seriously.

We call on you to do everything in your influence to ensure that the human rights of LGBTI individuals and sex workers, as set out in the international treaties and standards to which Turkey is committed, are respected.

Sincerely,

Panu Mäenpää
Chair of the Board

Are you interested in LGBTI rights and making a difference as a member of the board of Seta – LGBTI Rights Finland?

If so, we are welcoming your application via email: leena[at]tarjamo.fi. We would like the applicants to answer the below questions in Finnish when applying via email.

The vice chairman and four board members (3 members and 1 vice member) will be elected for the next two years in the Representatives’ Assembly on 28. -29.11.2015. Members will be selected by the Representatives from the nominees proposed on the spot. However, pre-entrance is recommended – that way you will get your application among the official Representatives’ Assembly documents sent to the member organizations prior to the Assembly.

In order to enable a democratic decision-making and transparency, it is very important that there will be more nominees than available positions. It is also crucial to have board members who represent a variety of genders and have diverse backgrounds and regional points of view. The working language of the board is Finnish, which is why the questions are also in Finnish.

A good board member is committed and has an interest and urge to promote the welfare of sexual and gender minorities. Ideally, the member would be experienced in any area associated with Seta.

Application deadline is October 12, 2015.

Questions:

Mikäli et halua jotain yksityistietoasi kerrottavan esittelymateriaaleissa, kirjoita sen perään salainen.

Nimi:
Ikä:
Paikkakunta:
Sähköpostiosoite:
Puhelinnumero:
Sukupuoli (nainen/mies/muu):

1. a) Oletko jonkin Setan jäsenjärjestön jäsen? Minkä? Mistä vuodesta alkaen?
b) Miksi liityit jäseneksi tai miksi et ole jäsen?

2. Oletko toiminut jonkin Setan jäsenjärjestön aktiivina, hallituksen jäsenenä tms.?

3. a) Mikä on mielestäsi Setan hallituksen jäsenen tehtävä?
b) Jos pyrit varapuheenjohtajaksi: mikä on mielestäsi varapuheenjohtajan tehtävä ja rooli Setassa?

4. Miksi juuri sinä olisit hyvä jäsen Setan hallitukseen?

5. Mitkä ovat mielestäsi Setan tärkeimmät tehtävät nyky-yhteiskunnassa sekä tulevaisuudessa? (mainitse kummastakin korkeintaan viisi asiaa)

6. Mihin järjestöllisiin asioihin haluaisit eniten vaikuttaa Setassa?

7. Miten aiot vaikuttaa näihin asioihin, jos sinut valitaan Setan hallitukseen?

8. Kerro vapaamuotoisesti toiminnastasi hlbti-asioiden parissa ja/tai muussa ihmisoikeustyössä.

9. Setan hallituksessa on hyötyä monenlaisesta osaamisesta. Onko sinulla jotain ominaisuuksia/taitoja/taustaa/kiinnostuksen kohteita tms., joista ajattelisit olevan hyötyä hallituksen jäsenen/varapuheenjohtajan tehtävän hoitamisessa ja joista haluaisit mainita?

> Kysymykset .docx-muodossa

A great step for human rights-based legal gender recognition: A ministry expert group in Finland wants to remove infertility requirement and forced divorce, examine self-determination

Amnesty International Finnish Section
The Finnish League for Human Rights
Rainbow Families
Seta – LGBTI Rights in Finland
Trasek

Press release on April 6, 2015

A great step for human rights-based legal gender recognition: A ministry expert group in Finland wants to remove infertility requirement and forced divorce, examine self-determination

The final report of a Ministry for Social Affairs and Health expert group on legal gender recognition was released today. The group has reviewed the terms of legal gender recognition and suggests that the infertility requirement and converting one’s marriage to registered partnership be removed. The group also suggests a change of the outdated name of the current law. The experts further suggest that an option of basing legal gender recognition on self-determination in the form of a simple declaration of one’s own to the registry office should be explored. The group states that it may be well-founded also to review the current age limit of 18 years and to regulate the legal parenthood of persons who have undergone legal gender recognition.

Human rights organisations rejoice at the suggestions of the long-awaited report. Amnesty International Finnish Section, The Finnish League for Human Rights, Rainbow Families, Seta and Trasek say that the report marks a significant step towards improving the rights of people who wish to have their legal gender changed. The organisations have been campaigning together for several years to change the terms of legal gender recognition. They now expect the suggestions of the expert group to be included in the agenda of the recently initiated negotiations on a new government coalition. Finland had parliamentary elections on April 19.

The NGOs point out that a comprehensive reform of legal gender recognition can be prepared in the context of finalizing the marriage equality reform as there will inevitably be changes to the single status/forced divorce requirement. The parliament adopted a citizen’s initiative on marriage equality in December 2014 but the change will only take effect in March 2017 due to remaining legal considerations.

Recent international development shows a growing tendency to support self-determination. The most recent development includes Malta which adopted the GIGESC (gender identity, gender expression and sec characteristics) law in April while a government expert group in Norway suggested that self-determination should be implemented in Norway and the age limit of 18 years should be abolished.

The Finnish NGOs point out that the suggestions of the expert group are also in line with the historical resolution on discrimination against transgender persons adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on April. PACE calls on the member states to develop quick, transparent and accessible procedures, based on self-determination, for changing the name and registered sex of transgender people on birth certificates, identity cards, passports, educational certificates and other similar documents; make these procedures available for all people who seek it, irrespective of age, medical status, financial situation or detentions; abolish sterilisation and other compulsory medical treatment, including a mental health diagnosis, as a necessary legal requirement to recognise a person’s gender identity in laws regulating the procedure for changing a name and registered gender; as well as to remove any restrictions on the right of transgender people to remain in an existing marriage upon recognition of their gender.

The representatives of Seta and Trasek were part of the Ministry for Social Affairs and Health expert group.

 

More information:

Aija Salo, secretary general, Seta – LGBTI Rights in Finland (member of expert group), +358 50 309 8108
Antti Karanki, chair, Trasek (member of expert group), +358 41 546 1565

The final report of the ministry expert group (in Finnish): Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön translakityöryhmän loppuraportti Sukupuolen oikeudellisen vahvistamisen edellytykset

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calls for self-determination on gender recognition

Yesterday, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a comprehensive resolution on trans persons’ human rights.

In a nutshell, the resolution calls upon member states to (from TGEU):

  • Adopt explicitly trans-inclusive anti-discrimination and hate crime legislation and measures,
  • Adopt quick, transparent and accessible legal gender recognition procedures, based on self-determination, without further limitations based on a person’s characteristic (such as age),
  • Abolish sterilization and other medical requirements such as a mental health diagnosis or a divorce requirement in legal gender recognition,
  • Ensure that the best interest of the child in cases concerning children is always given primary consideration,
  • Consider including a third gender option in identity documents for those who seek it,
  • Make trans-specific health care accessible and ensure that trans people (incl. children) are not labelled as mentally ill in national or international classifications,
  • Be pro-active as concerns information, awareness raising and training, particularly for professional groups.

One of Seta’s objectives for the newly elected Parliament of Finland is to renew legislation so that legal gender recognition would be based on self-determination. At the moment, the Finnish legislation demands sterility, medical records, changing marriage into civil partnership, and 18 years age. In April, a working committee of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health is going to publish its report that proposes that developing legislation towards self-determination should be considered.

More information:

> TGEU’s Media Statement

> The resolution

> Video of the session