Queer World asks Norwegian authorities to do more for people with complex minority identities

Queer World has contributed to a report on Norway's efforts to combat violence against women. It is launched today on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November 2020.

You can read the full report hereand more about Queer World's recommendations below.

- "The international fight to end violence against women is important. Too many women experience violence, even here in Norway," says Maruwa Kerella Ibrahim, counsellor at Queer World. "At Queer World, we have contributed by highlighting the special needs and vulnerability of queer women, trans people and intersex people. LGBTIQ people with minority backgrounds have different experiences than majority Norwegians. By contributing to this report, we want to put the needs of queer people with minority backgrounds on the agenda," Maruwa continues.

Norway has signed the Istanbul Convention on violence against women. This means that the Norwegian authorities are being scrutinised by an independent monitoring body, GREVIO, as to whether enough is being done to both prevent and combat violence against women. Alongside the government's report, which was submitted this autumn, NGOs have prepared a so-called shadow report - a report on how civil society perceives the government's efforts.

The Istanbul Convention specifically mentions LGBTIQ people in one of its introductory paragraphs, and Queer World believes it is important to highlight the vulnerability of not only queer women and transgender people, but all queer people. We know that queer people with an immigrant background are particularly vulnerable to violence, precisely because they are particularly visible due to their multiple minority identities. In addition, many people with an immigrant background lack their own networks where they can get support, be open and accepted. And knowledge in the support system is still far too low. Queer World is here to work against all this!

1) Knowledge in the support system about particular challenges for those living with visibly complex identities (intersectionality), which individually or together increase the risk of pressure, violence or discrimination:

• More money must be set aside for intersectional understanding and training on minority stress and cross-discrimination in all parts of the reception and support system. Minority stress is stress or trauma that can develop over time if you constantly experience small or large provocations, such as negative looks and comments or discrimination, based solely on visible minority identity. Knowledge about these things should be built up in separate units within the institutions. Intersectional knowledge must be included in the educational programmes of various professional groups that are to help other people, and it must be possible to specialise in such knowledge.
• Shelters must have special knowledge about transgender and intersex people. Transgender people's gender identity must be recognised, and individual measures for transgender people must only be used with close follow-up. Shelters must receive funding to develop a solid strategy to improve conditions for LGBTIQ people.

2) Prevention of discrimination, violence and vulnerability in childhood:

• Various working groups associated with schools must be aware of the vulnerabilities of LGBTIQ people and work systematically to counteract prejudice against LGBTIQ people. The curriculum must ensure that young people with different ethnic and religious backgrounds or skin colours have access to role models they can identify with. Schools must have specialised knowledge of intersectionality in order to counteract discrimination and identify problems more effectively.

3) Prevention and access to help:

• Authorities must recognise that queer women are vulnerable to family violence. For foreign women/ queer women married to a Norwegian partner, queer identity must be seen as a separate risk factor when applying for an independent residence permit.
• The authorities must recognise that queer women and men are particularly vulnerable at asylum reception centres, and they must not be placed in centres without 24-hour staffing or separate bathrooms. LGBTIQ status must be taken into account in both reception centre placement and settlement. Asylum centres with special expertise in this area should be established.
• Separate units of expertise should be established for LGBTIQ+ youth, run by health workers and family therapists who are detached from the child welfare services. Child welfare services are not perceived as safe enough to seek help from and often lack queer expertise, which means that queer minority youth lack a real offer of help. Such units need to have intersectional expertise and the knowledge to be able to follow up families of queer minority youth in a safe way, as well as offer temporary accommodation during an assessment phase.
• Young adults who want to move out of their parents' home (whether or not they have previously been in contact with Barnevernet and/or other support services/resource centres as suggested above) need a practical support system around them even after they have turned 18. This will counteract the social and psychological vulnerability that puts them at risk of being subjected to violence later on, and can provide the necessary support to make a number of important choices for life and the future.

4) Support for knowledge environments on intersectionality and queer people with an immigrant background:

• Organisations with intersectional expertise possess special knowledge and reach target groups that few others can reach. These should be prioritised in the national budget. Funding must be set aside for research into women's violence against women and violence against queer people, especially queer people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
• Funding must be set aside for research into queer people's particular vulnerabilities and expressions of violence in close relationships, and this knowledge must be reflected in the structure of the support system and the police.

The shadow report has gathered information from many organisations in civil society. The input has been compiled and the final text has been prepared by the Norwegian Women's Health Association (N.K.S.), the Shelter Secretariat and JURK (Legal Advice for Women). A total of 26 civil society organisations have signed the final shadow report, which was handed over to the Ministry of Justice by State Secretary Hilde Barstad at a conference on 26 October.

Text: Cecilie Nordfeldt
Illustration: Crisis centre secretariat