Budapest, June 8, 2011 – Hungarian LGBT NGO Háttér Support Society for LGBT People has launched today its new online discrimination reporting interface. Visitors of the website can report discrimination, harassment, violence or other forms injustices based on sexual orientation or gender identity with the help of simple internet forms, and if needed can request legal aid.

The number of human rights violations against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is very high in Hungary. A recent survey found that 44% of respondents have experienced discrimination one or more times during their lives. Even though legislation offers the possibility for victims to initiate procedures in cases of discrimination, harassment or violent attacks, only a tiny proportion of incidents are reported to authorities as those concerned do not know their rights and do not know whom to turn to.

The aim of the online reporting interface is to promote the reporting and documentation of incidents as well as to provide easy access to competent and free legal aid offered by the NGO. The website www.jelentsd-a-homofobiat.hu (currently only in Hungarian) contains simple internet forms by the help of which victims or witnesses of homophobic incidents can report these incidents – either anonymously or by providing their name – and if needed can request free legal aid. Háttér will regularly publish anonymized summaries and statistics based on the reports submitted.

The website was partly financed by the Human Rights Violations Documentation Fund of ILGA-Europe.

Tamás Dombos
Háttér Society for LGBT People
http://www.hatter.hu