Turkey, Azerbaijan: Problems with access to heath care, violence and harassment against transgender persons - Council of Europe report

When they seek health care, LGBT persons sometimes perceive that they experience worse treatment in the health service than their peers. For example, reports and statements from NGOs in Albania and Azerbaijan, challenged by the health ministries of both member states, refer to hospitals which allegedly have refused to treat transgender women in accident and emergency departments. In Turkey, the Istanbul Provincial Human Rights Board has reported on similar problems as well as on the lack of privacy for medical examinations of transgender women.

Interlocutors in some member states reported incidents of violence and harassment against LGBT persons perpetrated by state actors. In Turkey harassment and violence towards LGB and especially transgender persons in Istanbul, Ankara, Mersin and Eskisehir was flagged as a major concern by several interlocutors, including in a report published by the Istanbul Provincial Human Rights Board.

Research confirms that many victims of a hate crime do not report this because of fear of expo- sure of their sexual orientation or gender identity or because of a lack of trust in the judiciary.

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