TGEU Countries: Serbia tain individual support on demand. During ProTrans, A., a trans sex worker, was standing at a hotspot with In order to monitor transphobic incidents against raise awareness of violence and discrimination against Gayten-LGBT also provided individual psychological two other trans sex workers when a police car ap- trans sex workers, Gayten-LGBT has established a sex workers among the general public and stakehold- consultations for victims of transphobic incidents; how- proached. The police officer asked them for their ID. cooperation agreement with Sloboda Prava (“Equal ers and have sex work depenalised/decriminalised. It ever, trans people mainly scheduled consultations for When he saw the male gender marker on their IDs, he Rights”), an NGO providing psychosocial and legal also works to establish and strengthen partnerships various difficulties they face in everyday life, such as insulted them and made transphobic and homophobic support to sex workers. Sloboda Prava is a grassroots with LGBT and human-rights organisations with simi- coming out, family relations and transitioning. comments. A. replied that she would write down his organisation that was founded in 2011 by sex-worker lar values and visions. Sloboda Prava and Gayten-LGBT registration number and report his behaviour. The of- peer educators. The organisation is run by sex work- will continue and expand the cooperation beyond this The organisation’s LGBTIQ helpline has existed for al- ficer gave her friends their IDs back but pulled her into ers who are supported by sex-workers’ rights activ- project: they will organise joint workshops on LGBTIQ most ten years. It is open five hours a day every work- his car. He took her to the police station to charge her ists. Sloboda Prava’s main goal is to protect and sup- issues, and especially on trans issues, and are current- day, and it receives an average of 80 calls per year. Trans with prostitution. At the police station, she refused to port the human rights of at-risk groups, with a focus on ly exploring the possibility of forming a safe space for people call mainly for psychological support, but also to write a statement admitting that she was engaged in sex sex workers. It aims to promote their empowerment, trans people and sex workers. obtain information on legal procedures and gender-con- work when she was arrested. When the officer did so on firmation procedures. her behalf, she refused to sign the paper, saying that it was her right to stand wherever she wanted. The officer The biggest challenge during this project was to moti- forced her to spend the night in custody and let her go in vate trans people to report violent incidents. From Gay- the morning. Other officers did not interfere. ten-LGBT’s experience, as well as from the experience of Sloboda Prava, a Belgrade-based sex-workers’ organisa- Cooperation with Sloboda Prava is very important for us, tion, the incidents that have been collected through this because our work has always been based on intersectionality, project are only the tip of the iceberg of everyday dis- both when it comes to raising awareness among various stakeholders crimination and structural violence faced by trans people and when it comes to working directly with the community. in Serbia. Reporting violent incidents always carries the During the past 15 years, we have attempted to reach risk of re-traumatisation, and trans people constantly the most marginalised LGBTIQ groups, such as LGBTIQ Roma people, develop strategies to avoid being discriminated against and cooperation with Sloboda Prava has made it possible for us as much as possible, so much so that they often do not to support trans sex workers and work together to improve their situation. regard discriminatory incidents as discriminatory at all. Besides continuing the cooperation with regards to monitoring hate crimes Also, trans people rarely report incidents to the police or against trans sex workers, Gayten-LGBT would like to support efforts other state agencies – only one person reported an inci- to have sex work decriminalised, and to provide training workshops dent, which involved verbal harassment, to the police. on LGBTIQ and trans-specific issues to sex workers, as well as assistance with medical referrals when needed. The following case study illustrates the situation faced by trans sex workers on an almost daily basis, as a result Gayten-LGBT will be able to include this of negative societal attitudes towards both trans peo- highly marginalised group of trans people ple and sex workers. + 76 + Also, by addressing issues involving trans sex workers, in its various activities. + 77 +