School Bullying: Call for More Countries to Protect LGBTI+ Youth

Only one in five countries globally have laws that explicitly protect LGBTI+ youth from bullying in schools, new research has revealed.

Data published by ILGA World shows that just six countries — Andorra, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain — have adopted anti-bullying legislation that fully protects students on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics.

A further 40 countries – including South Africa – provide some form of legal protection against bullying based on at least one of these criteria, most commonly sexual orientation or gender identity.

The remaining UN member states — more than 140 countries — do not offer any specific anti-bullying protections for young LGBTI+ people in schools.

“Bullying Becomes a Major Roadblock”

Bullying and discrimination in schools have been linked to LGBTI+ youth dropping out, limiting their educational and career prospects, and heightening their risk of suicide ideation.

A 2016 hate crimes study by OUT LGBT Well-being found that 55% of LGBTI+ South Africans under 25 years of age had endured verbal insults at school, 35% had been threatened with violence, 18% had been punched, hit or kicked and 11% had been sexually abused or raped.

“Most people want youth to travel safely through an education that can grant them a future,” commented Gurchaten Sandhu, Director of Programmes at ILGA World. “But for far too many, bullying becomes a major roadblock along the way. And when governments refuse to take action, they leave those roadblocks in place — or worse, allow for the debris to fall and make a difficult path into a landslide.”

Despite growing global backlash against LGBTI+ people, ILGA noted some signs of progress.

In the past two years, Chile, Estonia, and Ukraine have discussed legislative proposals, while the government of the Solomon Islands launched a public consultation to develop an anti-bullying policy that includes protections based on sexual orientation.

In Brazil, the Federal Supreme Court ruled that education authorities must prevent and address bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity as part of their legal duty to ensure access to non-discriminatory education.

“Inaction Hurts Everyone”

“Bullying harms LGBTI students’ mental health and lowers their academic and job prospects. Its consequences drive up healthcare and social support costs,” said Sandhu. “If states are serious about creating a more economically prosperous future for all, they should know that their inaction is bad not just for LGBTI individuals, but for society as a whole.”

Kimberly Frost and Yuri Guaiana, Co-Secretaries General at ILGA World, urged more countries to implement legal protections for young LGBTIQ+ people.

“Most of us work hard for our families, no matter what they look like,” they said. “But today, a powerful few fuel divisions among us and block our efforts to ensure safe and welcoming schools. We must join together and advocate for laws ensuring that every youth can enjoy a high-quality education that lets them pursue their dreams — without exceptions or roadblocks.”