19/09/2024 | Writer: Kaos GL
In a report submitted to the Council of Europe, the May 17 Association highlighted that LGBTI+ individuals in Turkey are disproportionately impacted by the rising cost of living. The report stressed that the measures taken by the state party against the cost of living are pointless to LGBTI+s who are subjected to social exclusion.
The May 17 Association submitted a report to the Council of Europe on LGBTI+ poverty in Turkey, framed under the European Social Charter. This came in response to a request by the European Committee of Social Rights, which monitors compliance with the Charter, for a special report from member states on the cost of living crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic. The May 17 Association’s report focused on LGBTI+ poverty, a topic notably absent from Turkey’s official report submitted in January, bringing attention to the economic struggles faced by the LGBTI+ community.
“The employment rates of LGBTI+s in Türkiye are far below the general population average”
In its report, the May 17 Association highlighted that the current economic conditions are significantly more challenging for LGBTI+ individuals compared to the general population. The association referenced various studies on the economic hardships faced by LGBTI+ persons, emphasizing that these individuals are disproportionately affected by financial instability. The report noted the following key points:
“The results of the relevant research also show that the employment rates of LGBTI+s in Türkiye are far below the general population average, considering the structural and historical nature of the discrimination they experience. The vast majority of LGBTI+s can only work in lowpaid and temporary jobs that are unsustainable, lack social security, and where they can earn daily wages. LGBTI+ people, whose conditions are made more difficult by discrimination and marginalization all over the world, are the most exposed to the harmful effects of the cost of living and poverty.”
“The vast majority of LGBTI+s living with an open identity in Türkiye live alone without traditional family support mechanisms. The manifestation of domestic violence in the form of economic violence brings oppression, concealment of identity, and isolation for LGBTI+s. In Türkiye, marriage can only legally occur between a man and a woman if they meet the appropriate conditions. Therefore, there is no legal recognition for same-sex partners. The Ministry of Family and Social Services’ definitions of households and families and related social assistance programs completely exclude families consisting of same-sex couples.”
“The state party does not have any social policy for LGBTI+s”
Emphasizing that the measures taken by the state party against the cost of living are pointless to LGBTI+s who are subjected to social exclusion, and discrimination, and forced to get an irregular income May 17 Association said, “LGBTI+s are forced to continue to live below the poverty and starvation line.”
The report also included the following statements:
“The state party does not have any social policy for LGBTI+s, who are one of the primary social groups most at risk of social exclusion and poverty, as underlined in the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights General Comment No. 19 and Articles 30 and 31 of the European Social Charter. Moreover, it can be interpreted that LGBTI+s and persons, institutions and organizations working for LGBTI+s are directly targeted and further impoverished.”
Tags: human rights
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