Meet our Member Za-Pravo!
For this October’s Member of the Month, we’re taking you to the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, where we met with our new Members Za-Pravo. Founded 2 years ago by a couple of students and professors, this association aims to create a safe, supportive and open environment for teachers and students of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb — and all of the students of the University of Zagreb —, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Heya, can you tell us more about Za-Pravo?
Za-Pravo brings together teachers and students of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb to create a safe, supportive and open environment for students of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb, regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The goal of the Za-Pravo association is to create a safe, supportive and open environment for teachers and students of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb (and all of the students of the University of Zagreb), regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity, through weekly meetings of members and sympathisers, organising conferences, round tables, guest lectures, educations and support groups.
A couple of students and professors have founded this organisation just 2 years ago, in November 2020, and since then we have done some amazing things that they are really proud of!
What have been your main achievements? What makes you unique in your country?
Our main achievement would be the fact that we are recognised not only at the University of Zagreb, but also within the overall LGBTQIA+ community in Croatia.
We have won an award called ”LOTY” (Lesbian of the Year) for years 2020/2021. LOTY is a very important award given by an association called Zbeletron to persons, collectives, initiatives, etc. that contribute to the visibility of lesbian, bisexual and trans women in the field of sports, culture, activism — and generally improve the quality of life of the LGBTIQ+ community.
Also, we won the award called ”Žuti okvir” (Yellow Frame), awarded by National Geographic Croatia in the Gender Equality category.
Are there specific ways in which you have supported the community that you would like to highlight and/or share with other european organisations?
We organise a monthly support group for LGBTIQ+ students and young people under 30 years old, called ”Qrug”.
Also, we have organised a conference in December of 2021 named ”Development and Protection of LGBTIQA+ Rights”, which brought together many experts from various fields. The proceedings of the conference with all papers were also published.
In October 2021. We’ve organised an activity called ”Rainbow Walkway” in front of our Faculty building. Through that activity, we have openly talked about how to be better in supporting LGBTIQ+ rights and how to effectively promote gender equality in all areas.
What can governments, (national and international) authorities and institutions do more to support the communities you serve?
This is a really difficult question to answer concisely. A huge problem is the general lack of education of our population about sexual orientation and gender identities. These are still taboo topics today, in 2022. It is therefore extremely important to talk about LGBTQ+ issues everywhere and by everyone, promote the existence of LGBTQ+ people in our society and openly talk about all the issues that they are facing on a daily basis.
We believe schools and all other educational institutions should and must implement LGBTQ topics in their education plans.
Do you have a message for all the young people out there?
LGBTIQA+ rights are basic human rights, and they concern everyone!
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Thank you so much Za-Pravo! In case our readers want to know more, they can find more information on your Facebook page.
