LGBTQ Crime Victims Neglected by Nation’s Victim Support System, Says Landmark Report
Posted by Mary on March 25, 2010
Washington, DC–The National Center for Victims of Crime and the
National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs today released Why It
Matters: Rethinking Victim Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Queer Victims of Hate Violence and Intimate Partner
Violence. This groundbreaking report, the product of a 2009 survey of
victim assistance providers and LGBTQ anti-violence programs throughout
the nation, describes widespread gaps in victim services for LGBTQ
victims of crime and recommends steps to improve the services and their
accessibility.
The Why It Matters survey found that LGBTQ victims do not have
consistent access to culturally competent services to prevent or help
victims recover from violence. Most respondent organizations lack
outreach to LGBTQ victims, LGBTQ cultural competence training for staff,
LGBTQ-specific victim services polices and practices, and collaboration
with LGBTQ providers. Too often, mainstream victim assistance agencies
do not provide a culturally sensitive response to these victims, and
LGBTQ-specific anti-violence programs either lack resources to meet the
need or simply do not exist. As a result, LGBTQ victims suffer
disproportionately from violence and its aftereffects.
“This first-of-its-kind report reveals major deficiencies in our
nation’s response to LGBTQ victims of crime,” said Jeff Dion, acting
executive director of the National Center for Victims of Crime. “We hope
our collaboration with NCAVP will begin a long-overdue process of
addressing the serious problems this report describes.”
Solving these problems, the report argues, requires eliminating the
obstacles that prevent LGBTQ victims from reporting crimes and accessing
victim services. Law enforcement agencies often underestimate the levels
of violence against these victims, and the victims–fearing
discrimination and further consequences–often hesitate to report
intimate partner or hate-crime violence, or to seek victim services.
The report recommends increased support for LGBTQ-focused training,
education for service providers and first responders, as well as further
study to determine the specific needs of LGBTQ victims and the
prevalence of crimes against them. It also recommends increased
collaboration among LGBTQ anti-violence programs and mainstream victim
assistance providers, changes to ensure equal access to state and
federal protections for LGBTQ crime victims, outreach to increase public
awareness of the extent and impact of the victimization of this
community, and increased state and federal funding for these efforts.
“Why It Matters offers a roadmap for a journey our nation must take to
address the serious gaps in services for LGBTQ victims of violence,”
said Sharon Stapel, executive director of the NYC Anti-Violence Project,
coordinator of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. “At a
time when the severity of hate-violence against LGBTQ people is
increasing, when new federal legislation demands closer attention to
hate crimes and the gaps in services are widening as programs lose
funding, this report offers significant solutions to meet the urgent
need for better victim services for LGBTQ communities.”
To download the full report (Why It Matters: Rethinking Victim
Assistance for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Victims of
Hate Violence and Intimate Partner Violence ), visit www.ncvc.org or
