The action

All persons have the right to live free from violence

People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer constitute a heterogeneous group that experiences and faces human rights violations related to sexual orientation, gender identity and/or sexual characteristics, but also, multiple discriminations and violence in a intersectional way based on skin colour, ethnic origin, disability, age, nationality, religion, and economic status.

These violations are the most widespread and underestimated across Europe, with serious cases in countries such as Italy, which, according to the ILGA Europe 2024 index, ranks 35th out of 49 countries assessed for legal standards and the impact of laws and policies on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people.

Notwithstanding that human rights organisations, LGBTQIA+ associations, anti-violence centres, anti-trafficking services, and children’s rights associations are daily employed in the front line working in the fight against inequalities and violence and promoting inclusion, they suffer the lack of recognition of their role and competences in the protection of LGBTQIA+ people’s rights, by social services and public institutions.

This gap sets limits on their power of action and the possibility of being more involved in the policy making process. Among the challenges emerged in a CSOs consultation, the lack of planning at structural level led to a shortage of funding opportunities that could ensure adequate care and sustainability of interventions.

The impact that the Connecting Spheres action aims to achieve is to contribute to creating a society able to respond to the needs of people from a gender perspective, where LGBTQIA+ people can live free of violence in all spheres of life.

Connecting Spheres in support of civil society organisations

The Connecting Spheres action aims to strengthen Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Italy, with an effect of scale up at European level through the involvement of organisations in at least three other EU countries, to prevent and respond effectively to gender-based violence, through direct the implementation of services address to survivors and/or those at risk, training and awareness-raising activities. In line with the European Strategy for LGBTIQ Equality 2020-2025, the action aims to promote a more equal society from diverse gender perspectives in Italy and in Europe, ensuring that LGBTQIA+ people can live free from violence in all spheres of life.

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Connecting Spheres supports CSOs and their networks through financial support, technical and thematic capacity building, promotion of peer learning, multilevel networking and advocacy actions at national and European level. The Civil Society Organisations benefiting from the grant will be able to respond, with a cascade system, to the needs of LGBTQIA+ people survivors and/or those at risk, in ensuring access to protection systems, fostering pathways to inclusion and promoting anti-discriminatory cultural change.

Objectives of the Action

The specific objective of this action is to develop the capacities of small and medium-sized organisations through training and good practice exchange activities, and to provide financial support through the opening of a public call for proposals according to three streams:

Strengthening support and referral services and reporting system for LGBTQI+ survivors or at risk of GBV (only for CSOs working in Italy);

Transforming the social norms that perpetuate GBV and eradicating gender stereotypes (only for CSOs working in Italy);

Strengthening development and implementation of national and international GBV legislation and procedures (for CSOs working in Italy and in other EU countries).

Civil Society Organisations participating in the call will be also supported and strengthened technically and financially by the partners of the Connecting Spheres action in order to:

enhance their ability in cooperating with institutions;
promote the exchange of good practices and innovative strategies to contrast gender-based violence among civil society organisations in Italy and in three other countries of the European Union;
build lasting alliances among organisations working in the field;
influence the national and international protection system, and create sustainable solutions to prevent and respond to gender-based violence against LGBTQIA+ people, considering the specific needs of the most vulnerable.

Main activities of the action

Financial support for at least 25 project proposals.

Organisational and technical needs assessment through the involvement of CSOs.

Development and promotion of tailor-made training courses for improving the technical skills of CSOs through a capacity building programme.

Exchange and mutual learning events between CSOs at national and international level.

Expected results from the Action and funded project

Connecting Spheres action is based on the assumption that in order to achieve a more gender-equitable society, in which LGBTQIA+ people live free from violence in all spheres of their lives in Italy and at European level, lasting changes need to take place at several levels: personal, community, organisational and systemic.

For this reason, the action foresees that:

support services for LGBTQIA+ people are more accessible and of better quality,
Civil Society Organisations have strengthened their technical and management skills,
External professionals, public institutions and key stakeholders are more aware of the rights of LGBTQIA+ people.

To achieve this expected change, in line with the specific objectives of the action, the project proposals selected at national and European level must achieve the following specific outcomes.

Under Stream 1 they will establish or improve safe spaces and referral systems for survivors and/or those at risk of gender-based violence, through strengthening access to adequate protection, health, legal and psychological services. This can be done through case management, training of professionals, networking and coordination of service providers in the response to gender-based violence. This can also include regional and national meetings, and learning events organised to share best practices among civil society organisations working on the field.

Under Stream 2, on the one hand operators and professionals, and on the other activists and representatives of the LGBTQIA+ community are involved in the second level of interventions to prevent violence from an intersectional perspective, in order to trigger a change at local and regional level of existing social norms and prejudices towards LGBTQIA+ people. Furthermore, the community (mainly focusing on men, boys and other relevant stakeholders) are positively influenced on gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights.

Under Stream 3, projects funded in Italy and in other European countries contribute to data collection and analysis on gender-based violence against LGBTQIA+ people with an intersectional perspective; to the improvement of protection systems and legal framework protecting LGBTQIA+ survivors and guaranteeing their full rights, through the testimonies collected. Policy makers, health and social workers, legal and judicial services, academia world, and the international network working against gender-based violence are influenced and strengthened in their capacities through activities involving CSOs, dissemination of good practices, lessons learned, and policy recommendations developed at European level.

Targeted CSOs

Small and medium-sized grass-rooted Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) can be beneficiaries of the Action. More specifically: human rights associations, LGBTQIA+ associations, anti-violence centres, anti-trafficking centres, migrant shelters, children’s rights associations, other CSOs working on the front line to fight inequalities and violence affecting LGBTQIA+ people in Italy, and in at least three other European countries.

The CSOs participating in the Connecting Spheres action are called to be agents of change in policies and culture, through a constant dialogue and network with institutions and public services at local and regional, national and international level. Organisations are the voice of the LGBTQIA+ community, and their expertise is useful to positively influence a political and cultural environment characterised by ideological positions that hinder the advocacy process. Furthermore, in order to promote the alliance of CSOs at European level, under Stream 3 CSOs working in Italy are encouraged to involve a partner in another EU country, to cooperate in the implementation of policies, campaigns and communication activities, to influence and transform protection systems at international level and to improve good practices.

People reached by the Connecting Spheres action and funded projects:

LGBTQIA+ survivors and/or those at risk of violence and discrimination
frontline professionals and operators
activists and people from the LGBTQIA+ community
policy makers, local and national institutions
local communities