Contents of the presentation

1. Addressing discrimination and bullying at school – Whatcan the EU and the CoE do? Brussels, 16 December 2014Sophie Aujean, ILGA-Europe

2. Contents of the presentation • Whatis ILGA-Europe and how do wework in the area of education? • What are the issues faced by LGBTI people in the area of education? • Instruments atEuropeanlevel (Council of Europe and EU) • Whatcanyou do?

3. What is ILGA-Europe?

4. What is ILGA-Europe? • LGA-Europe is the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association • ILGA-Europe works for equality and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans & intersex (LGBTI) people at the European level • ILGA-Europe is an international non-governmental umbrella organisation bringing together 407 organisations from 45 of the 49 countries in Europe • ILGA-Europe was established as a separate region of ILGA and an independent legal entity in 1996. ILGA was established in 1978

5. How do wework in the area of education? • ILGA-Europe activities in educationso far • Advocacyworkat EU and CoElevels • Building partnerships • Consultation of ourmembers • Magazine on education • Conferences on homophobic and transphobicbullyingwith Irish and Greekpresidency of the EU • Capacity-building activities • Documentation and advocacyfund 2015

6. What are the issues faced by LGBTI people in the area of education?

7. What the issues are? • Schoolbullying • Definition : use of force or coercion to abuse or intimidate others. The behavior involves an imbalance of social or physical power. It may be directed repeatedly towards particular victims, on grounds of SOGI (or based on perceived SOGI), but also class, race, religion, gender, appearance, ability, etc. It can also target children whose parents are LGBTI. • Victims may experience : name-calling, public ridicule, hitting/kicking, rumour-mongering, teasing, frightened by a look, belongings taken or damaged, social isolation, etc.

8. Whatthe issues are? • Impacts the whole school community! • Need to pay attention to cyber-bullying. • FRA survey, May 2013, 28 MS, 93,000 respondents • 91% of respondentshadheardnegativecomments or seennegativeconductbecause a schoolmatewasperceived to be LGBT duringtheirschoolingbefore the age of 18. • 67% of respondentshadalways or oftenhidden or disguisedbeing LGBT duringtheirschoolingbefore the age of 18.

9. Whatthe issues are? • Lack of visibility of LGBTI issues in schools • Curricula and textbooks: • In Slovenia, a study conducted in 2008 by Legebitra revealed that almost 98% of pupils have not heard anything about homosexuality in schools. • In France, a recent study done by the HALDE (former equality body, now entitled “Defenseur des Droits”) showed that LGBT persons (as well as other minorities) are absent in textbooks. Strong negative reactions to a programmeaddressing gender stereotypes in France (2014). It was dropped out and replaced by a programme on W/M equality.

10. Whatthe issues are? • Polish version of COMPASS (a CoE guide for human rights education) was prohibited (2007). Biology textbook in Croatia comprises “biased, discriminatory and degrading” contents (decisionby the Social Charter Committee (CoE) 2009). • Textbooks still include homophobic or transphobic materials in B&H (homosexuality defined as an illness), Poland (homosexuality seen as a sexual deviation), Similar cases reported in Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, etc.

11. What the issues are? • The organisation of school life is also very important where school organisation maintains the invisibility of LGBT youth. Schools often promote implicitly heteronormativity (school bal, uniforms, bathrooms, mother/father’s days, etc.). • Situation of LGBTI pupils in faith schools is slightly worst then in other schools. According to Stonewall (School Report, 2007), “75 % of young gay people in faith schools have experienced direct homophobic bullying compared to 65% overall. 47% […] disagree that their school in an accepting, tolerant place where they feel welcome, compared to 35% overall”. But there are positive examples of faith schools that have initiated actions against homophobia & transphobia.

12. What the issues are? • Representation of familydiversity • It is not only about same-sex parents, but also about divorced parents, single parents, children raised by their grandparents etc. • Very important that children feel proud and comfortable about whom their family is. They should feel at ease to talk about their families and teachers should be able to facilitate this. • But in practice, teachers don’t always feel comfortable or don’t know how to discuss family diversity (i.e. debating in the classroom about whether same-sex couples can have children = a bad practice).

13. Whatthe issues are? • Issues faced by gender-variant children: • Schooluniforms • Use of preferrednames/pronouns • Appropriate record keeping • Participation in single-genderedactivities • Involvement in sports • Access to toilets and changingrooms • Transition support • + specifically for intersexchildren: never-endingtreatments (often non-medicallynecessary) → schoolabsenteism

14. Instruments atEuropeanlevel (Council of Europe and EU)

15. WhatcanbedoneatEuropeanlevel? • Whatcan the EU do? → EU competences in education? (article 165 TFEU) → Putting the issue of schoolbullying on its agenda • Sharing good practices • Usingitsprogrammes (Erasmus Plus, etc.) and agencies → i.e. training of teachers, peer-learning, youth initiatives, etc. • Adopt the equaltreatment directive!

16. WhatcanbedoneatEuropeanlevel? • Whatcanbedone by the Council of Europe? • Monitoring the implementation of the CoMRecommendationCM/Rec(2010)5 on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity (§ 31-32 on education) • Follow-up on the LGBT project(2012-2013): 6 countries (IT, PL, LV, Montenegro, AL, SR). ManyGPs in the area of education. • UsingCoEtools on humanrightseducation. • CoEstrategy on the rights of the child

17. What do national and local policy makers already do

18. What do policymakers do? • Good policies and practices from national level • Action plan againstbullying in Ireland • Comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in Swedenleading to anti-bullyingpolicies in schools • Pedagogicalinspectors monitoring bullying in UK • New students’ statuteprohibits discrimination on the grounds of SOGI in Portugal • Programme « education for life skills » (training materials for teachers – covers SOGI) in Macedonia.

19. What do policymakers do? • Good policies and practices done at local level: • Basque gvt: Berdinduis the information service on SOGI of the Basque gvt. « BerdinduEslolak » = programme in education area: offersteachers training and alsoled a data collection project in 2013-14 on attitudes of studentstowards SOGI/schoolbullying. • City of Venice: project « Love according to us » = projectdone in 2005 comprising a training course for teachers + a campaignagainst discrimination and homophobicbullying in highschools.

20. What do policymakers do? • Turin city council: train the trainerstoolkits in 4 areas, includingeducation (2010). Teacherstrained on genderstereotypes, homophobicbullying, etc. • Vienna city council: « Schoolmates » project = 3 handbooks on how to addresshomophobicschoolbullying + a bigclosingconference. • Sheffield city council: anti-bullying report + school charter. Done in collaboration withStonewall. • Rubi city council (Spain): comicstripcontest on IDAHO in state secondaryschools.

21. Thankyou for your attention!sophie@ilga-europe.org