LSVD publishes a practical guide aiming at the protection of LGBTI refugees in shelters

At shelters, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) refugees very often are the victims of violence. Hence, in refugee accomodation in Germany, they form a vulnerable group that requires special protection. Given their negative prior experiences in their original countries and the fear of violence at the shelter, most LGBTI refugees remain invisible at their housing facilities. As a consequence, their needs in terms of accommodations and support are frequently not taken into account. Given this situation, the  Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD), on the occasion of the networking event of the “Federal Initiative for the Protection of Refugees in Refugee Shelters” published the new guideline “Leitfaden für die Praxis – LSBTI*-sensibler Gewaltschutz für Geflüchtete.”

The German-language guideline targets the employees at the shelters of the federal states and municipalities. Author Alva Träbert concisely explains how the provisions for the protection of LGBTI refugees of the German “Minimum Standards for the Protection of  Refugees in Refugee Accommodations” can be implemented in practice. With this practical guideline, the LSVD hopes to give the shelter staff members “primarily practical proposals and helpful materials for their work with LGBTI refugees,” comment Henny Engels and Patrick Dörr on behalf of the LSVD board. The compilation of the guide was sponsored by the German Ministry for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ). The guide is available for download and can also be ordered free of charge by sending an email to queer-refugees@lsvd.de.