Publication: Barriers to LGBTI People Accessing Justice in Serbia
Loading...
Date
2022
ISSN
Published
2022
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) people face significant social and legal vulnerabilities and disparities in accessing justice. LGBTI people are more vulnerable to bias, discrimination, harassment, and violence due to their real or perceived Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC). Despite some legal protections, few LGBTI people report cases of violence and other bias-motivated incidents to the police, and even fewer complaints proceed to court. The barriers that LGBTI people experience in accessing justice are rooted in societal homophobia, transphobia, their own fear to report incidents, a disconnect between formal laws and their implementation, and a lack of skills and knowledge among personnel in key justice institutions to effectively respond to the needs of LGBTI people. In most countries, including in the Western Balkans, government responses to discrimination and violence against LGBTI people are inadequate, as highlighted by previous research undertaken by the World Bank. The lack of safe reporting structures and inaction when cases are reported dissuades LGBTI people from engaging with the justice system, which limits their ability to have their rights fully protected. This report is organized in four parts. Part A provides the rationale for the research and outlines the research methodology. Part B includes an examination of the Serbian legal framework, the experience of Serbian LGBTI people accessing justice mechanisms, circumstances where LGBTI people in Serbia face discrimination or exclusion from justice based on their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI), and a broader examination of the structural barriers to Serbian LBGTI people accessing justice. Part C outlines a collection of policy actions to address the barriers to access, the agencies best suited to steward the reforms, and anticipated timelines. Finally, the stakeholders who were interviewed and the questionnaires and survey instruments used to collect information, experience, and practices from the different stakeholders are included in the Annex section.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2022. Barriers to LGBTI People Accessing Justice in Serbia. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/39417 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Economic Inclusion of LGBTI Groups in Thailand(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018)Thailand is widely considered progressive among developing and middle-income countries regarding the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) people. Yet, a growing body of research shows they still experience discrimination, limited job and housing opportunities, and barriers to accessing many common services. Most information on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) in Thailand is qualitative in nature. A new study led by the World Bank, in partnership with Thammasat University, Love Frankie, and the Nordic Trust Fund, includes the first endeavor to gather and analyze quantitative data on economic and financial outcomes for a large, statistically significant sample of LGBTI people in Thailand. Qualitative data from in-depth ‘live story’ interviews with 19 SOGI-diverse participants from across each of Thailand’s main regions complement the online survey data and provide further insights into the lives of LGBTI respondents. For the first time in Thailand, the study also presents information on non-LGBTI people and their attitudes toward LGBTI groups, based on survey responses from a statistically representative non-LGBTI reference group. The study focuses on how LGBTI people fare in Thai society economically and financially: their opportunities and inclusion, or discrimination and exclusion. It highlights outcomes for the LGBTI and non-LGBTI population in the labor, housing, and financial markets, along with LGBTI people’s challenges in their access to education, health, and government services. Based on the study’s results, international experience, and literature reviews, the report offers policy and programmatic options to widen opportunities for the LGBTI population and share prosperity among all the people in Thailand.Publication "To Whom Do the People Take Their Issues?" The Contribution of Community-Based Paralegals to Access to Justice in South Africa(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2013-01)Paralegals provide a crucial link to justice services and legal redress in South Africa, particularly for the rural poor. Although post-Apartheid constitutional reforms guaranteed a broad range of rights and benefits to all South Africans, including the right to legal assistance, accessing many of these benefits remains a challenge for those who live in remote areas and those who cannot afford legal representation. Community-based paralegals fill this gap by providing dispute resolution and legal support that is both geographically and financially accessible and informed by a deep understanding of the social issues and everyday challenges facing their clients. Despite the prevalence and importance of paralegals in the South African justice sector, their role remains largely under-formalized and understudied. This report seeks to address this gap by providing a broad analysis of the current state of the paralegal sector. It begins with a historical overview of paralegal services in South Africa from the apartheid period to the present. The study then maps the current state of the paralegal sector, and provides detailed information on the structure and function of key organizations that provide paralegal services. Through an analysis of twelve case studies of paralegal-assisted cases, the report identifies facilitating and hindering determinants of Community Advice Offices (CAO) functions at both the institutional and organization level.Publication The Economic Cost of Stigma and the Exclusion of LGBT People : A Case Study of India(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2014-10-03)Human rights and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are usually considered through a social, cultural, or ethical lens, but equality and inclusion of LGBT people are also economic development issues. This report develops a model to estimate the economic cost of stigma; negative attitudes toward LGBT people and the exclusion of LGBT people in social institutions such as education, employment, families, and health care. The model is applied to a case study of India. Three major findings emerge from this report. First, there is clear evidence of stigma and exclusion exists for LGBT people in India. Data on public opinion from 2006 shows that 41 percent of Indians would not want a homosexual neighbor, and 64 percent believe that homosexuality is never justified. Negative attitudes have diminished over time, however. Second, the effects of stigma and exclusion are potentially costly to economies. A conceptual model links exclusion of LGBT people and economic development through (1) lower productivity and lower output as a result of employment discrimination and constraints on labor supply; (2) inefficient investment in human capital because of lower returns to education and discrimination in educational settings; (3) lost output as a result of health disparities that are linked to exclusion; and (4) social and health services required to address the effects of exclusion that might be better spent elsewhere. Third and lastly, in India, existing research does not allow for a precise estimate of the cost of LGBT exclusion, but the cost could be substantial. The loss of labor productivity and output because of employment discrimination and the loss of life years due to early death or disability will reduce the economic output of the Indian economy. With better research on the lived experiences of LGBT people, researchers could use existing analytical tools to estimate the total cost of LGBT exclusion.Publication A Comparative Analysis of the Socioeconomic Dimensions of LGBTI Exclusion in Serbia(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2019-07-01)The study uses the survey on income and living conditions (SILC) to collect data on income, poverty, social exclusion, and living conditions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Serbia, allowing a robust comparison between the socioeconomic outcomes of sexual and gender minorities and the general population.Publication The Economic Cost of Exclusion Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression, and Sex Characteristics in the Labor Market in the Republic of Serbia(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-26)Recent research suggests that the effects of stigma, discrimination, and exclusion against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people could be costing economies billions of dollars. There are numerous reasons for these costs, including adverse educational environments, employment discrimination, physical and mental health disparities, and violence. This research aims to estimate the economic cost of exclusion based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) in the Republic of Serbia and to provide the country’s policy makers, civil society, and development partners with new evidence on the ongoing policy dialogue on strengthening the social inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people. To estimate the cost of exclusion, this report presents two theoretical models focused on the labor market and related issues. The first model centers mainly on the accumulated loss of individual wages due to the consequences of exclusion. The second model calculates the negative effect of exclusion on accumulated fiscal revenues (due to lower income and payroll taxes) and expenditures (due to higher expenditures for unemployment benefits and active labor market programs).
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Is US Trade Policy Reshaping Global Supply Chains ?(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-11-01)This paper examines the reshaping of supply chains using detailed US 10-digit import data (tariff-line level) between 2017 and 2022. The results show that while US-China decoupling in bilateral trade is real, supply chains remain intertwined with China. Over the period, China’s share of US imports fell from 22 to 16 percent. The paper shows that the decline is due to US tariffs. US imports from China are being replaced with imports from large developing countries with revealed comparative advantage in a product. Countries replacing China tend to be deeply integrated into China’s supply chains and are experiencing faster import growth from China, especially in strategic industries. Put differently, to displace China on the export side, countries must embrace China’s supply chains. Within products, the reorientation of trade is consistent with a “China + 1” strategy, as opposed to diversified sourcing across multiple countries. There is some evidence of nearshoring, but it is exclusive to border nations, and there is no consistent evidence of reshoring. Despite the significant reshaping, China remained the top supplier of imported goods to the US in 2022.Publication Benefits and Risks of Financial Globalization : Challenges for Developing Countries(Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 2004-06)This paper discusses the benefits and risks that financial globalization entails for developing countries. Financial globalization can lead to large benefits, particularly to the development of the financial system. But financial globalization can also come with crises and contagion. The net effect of financial globalization is likely positive in the long run, with risks being more prevalent right after countries liberalize. So far, only some countries, sectors, and firms have taken advantage of globalization. As financial systems turn global, governments lose policy instruments, so there is an increasing scope for some form of international financial policy cooperation.Publication Digital Progress and Trends Report 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-05)Digitalization is the transformational opportunity of our time. The digital sector has become a powerhouse of innovation, economic growth, and job creation. Value added in the IT services sector grew at 8 percent annually during 2000–22, nearly twice as fast as the global economy. Employment growth in IT services reached 7 percent annually, six times higher than total employment growth. The diffusion and adoption of digital technologies are just as critical as their invention. Digital uptake has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 1.5 billion new internet users added from 2018 to 2022. The share of firms investing in digital solutions around the world has more than doubled from 2020 to 2022. Low-income countries, vulnerable populations, and small firms, however, have been falling behind, while transformative digital innovations such as artificial intelligence (AI) have been accelerating in higher-income countries. Although more than 90 percent of the population in high-income countries was online in 2022, only one in four people in low-income countries used the internet, and the speed of their connection was typically only a small fraction of that in wealthier countries. As businesses in technologically advanced countries integrate generative AI into their products and services, less than half of the businesses in many low- and middle-income countries have an internet connection. The growing digital divide is exacerbating the poverty and productivity gaps between richer and poorer economies. The Digital Progress and Trends Report series will track global digitalization progress and highlight policy trends, debates, and implications for low- and middle-income countries. The series adds to the global efforts to study the progress and trends of digitalization in two main ways: · By compiling, curating, and analyzing data from diverse sources to present a comprehensive picture of digitalization in low- and middle-income countries, including in-depth analyses on understudied topics. · By developing insights on policy opportunities, challenges, and debates and reflecting the perspectives of various stakeholders and the World Bank’s operational experiences. This report, the first in the series, aims to inform evidence-based policy making and motivate action among internal and external audiences and stakeholders. The report will bring global attention to high-performing countries that have valuable experience to share as well as to areas where efforts will need to be redoubled.Publication 2022 Investment Policy and Regulatory Review - Vietnam(World Bank Group, Washington, DC, 2022)This Investment Policy and Regulatory Review (IPRR) is organized as follows: section two provides an overview of the country’s investment policy framework, including the legal instruments regulating foreign investment, key institutions involved in investment promotion, as well as the country’s foreign investment promotion strategy; it also delineates the country’s international investment legal framework, including the country’s commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) and select international investment agreements (IIAs); sections three-six cover the country’s policies and domestic legal framework concerning different dimensions of the lifecycle of an investment: entry and establishment (section three), protection (four), incentives (five) and linkages (six); sections seven and eight explore emerging investment policy and regulatory areas, section seven considers outward FDI and section eight responsible investment; section nine focuses on city-specific investment policy and regulatory measures in the largest commercial center; and section 10 covers FDI in the digital economy.Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.