"Human Cost of Systematic Harm": TGEU Publishes Report on Violence Against Trans People in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
TGEU (Transgender Europe) has published the report "Human Cost of Systematic Harm," documenting violence against trans people across six countries in the region.
The report was authored by Vanya Solovey and Amanita Calderón-Cifuentes.
It captures the systemic nature of anti-trans violence and demonstrates that state institutions, police and healthcare alike, not only fail to protect survivors, but frequently become perpetrators of violence themselves.
The scope of the study
The dataset covers 88 documented cases of violence across Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, and Russia. Violence against trans people is cumulative in nature: survivors typically do not face a single incident, but multiple overlapping forms of violence occurring simultaneously or in sequence.
The report identifies five categories of violence: emotional and psychological, physical, sexualised, systemic, and material. These categories rarely exist in isolation. Entrapment dates — a well-documented practice in Russia and Uzbekistan — combine several types at once: psychological pressure, physical violence, extortion, and the threat of criminal prosecution. Four such cases are documented in the dataset, in which survivors were contacted by men posing as romantic or sexual interests, only for police to arrive at the arranged meeting place.
The State as a Source of Violence
One of the report's central findings is that police are among the primary perpetrators of violence against trans people, accounting for 48% of known aggressors. Yet only 17 of the 88 documented cases were reported to police — roughly 19%. The main reason survivors stay silent is distrust: 39 survivors cited it as the primary barrier. Other reasons include previous negative experiences with police, fear of physical violence and humiliation, and fear of criminal prosecution under laws that criminalise trans people.
Repressive legislation creates fertile ground for abuse. In Uzbekistan, Article 120 of the Criminal Code criminalises consensual sexual relations between male-assigned persons — a Soviet-era law that has never been repealed. Police routinely exploit it for extortion: pressuring gay men and trans women to reveal the names of their partners, organising entrapment operations, and making arbitrary arrests. Forced anal examinations remain standard practice — despite being condemned by the World Medical Association and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
In Russia, a key episode of systemic violence during the data collection period was the July 2023 law banning legal gender recognition and trans-specific healthcare. Its effects were immediate: a deterioration in the mental health of trans people and documented cases of denial of medical care — including care unrelated to gender transition.
Healthcare Fails Too
The situation in healthcare is no better. Of the 10 cases in which survivors sought medical assistance after experiencing violence, four were denied care. In 21 cases, survivors did not seek help at all — due to distrust of medical institutions, fear of humiliation, or fear of criminal prosecution. In not a single documented case was the response of medical staff described as supportive or respectful.
The Impact on Survivors
Violence has the greatest impact on mental health: 63 of 88 survivors reported negative consequences in this area, and two mentioned suicidal thoughts as a direct result of the violence they experienced. 31 survivors experienced physical health consequences. Between 15 and 19 survivors reported that violence had affected their access to housing, employment, and economic stability. Trans people are disproportionately affected by poverty, making them especially vulnerable to material violence in the form of robbery and extortion.
Who Survivors Can Turn To
When state institutions fail, trans survivors of violence rely on informal support. In 33 cases, help came from friends and community; in 8 cases from family members; in 5 cases from peer support groups; and in another 5 from psychologists. The authors draw an important conclusion from this: the experience of meaningful support and recovery after violence is being built within trans communities — not within the institutions that are supposed to provide it. This means that any institutional response to anti-trans violence must be community-led and community-informed.
What Needs to Change
The report closes with a call for systemic change: the repeal of laws criminalising trans people, sex workers, and people living with HIV; mandatory training for police and healthcare professionals; and the creation of accountability mechanisms for perpetrators. The authors are clear: as long as systemic violence goes unpunished, trans people will continue to stay silent and cope alone.
The full report is available at tgeu.org.
The report was authored by Vanya Solovey and Amanita Calderón-Cifuentes.
It captures the systemic nature of anti-trans violence and demonstrates that state institutions, police and healthcare alike, not only fail to protect survivors, but frequently become perpetrators of violence themselves.
The scope of the study
The dataset covers 88 documented cases of violence across Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, and Russia. Violence against trans people is cumulative in nature: survivors typically do not face a single incident, but multiple overlapping forms of violence occurring simultaneously or in sequence.
The report identifies five categories of violence: emotional and psychological, physical, sexualised, systemic, and material. These categories rarely exist in isolation. Entrapment dates — a well-documented practice in Russia and Uzbekistan — combine several types at once: psychological pressure, physical violence, extortion, and the threat of criminal prosecution. Four such cases are documented in the dataset, in which survivors were contacted by men posing as romantic or sexual interests, only for police to arrive at the arranged meeting place.
The State as a Source of Violence
One of the report's central findings is that police are among the primary perpetrators of violence against trans people, accounting for 48% of known aggressors. Yet only 17 of the 88 documented cases were reported to police — roughly 19%. The main reason survivors stay silent is distrust: 39 survivors cited it as the primary barrier. Other reasons include previous negative experiences with police, fear of physical violence and humiliation, and fear of criminal prosecution under laws that criminalise trans people.
Repressive legislation creates fertile ground for abuse. In Uzbekistan, Article 120 of the Criminal Code criminalises consensual sexual relations between male-assigned persons — a Soviet-era law that has never been repealed. Police routinely exploit it for extortion: pressuring gay men and trans women to reveal the names of their partners, organising entrapment operations, and making arbitrary arrests. Forced anal examinations remain standard practice — despite being condemned by the World Medical Association and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.
In Russia, a key episode of systemic violence during the data collection period was the July 2023 law banning legal gender recognition and trans-specific healthcare. Its effects were immediate: a deterioration in the mental health of trans people and documented cases of denial of medical care — including care unrelated to gender transition.
Healthcare Fails Too
The situation in healthcare is no better. Of the 10 cases in which survivors sought medical assistance after experiencing violence, four were denied care. In 21 cases, survivors did not seek help at all — due to distrust of medical institutions, fear of humiliation, or fear of criminal prosecution. In not a single documented case was the response of medical staff described as supportive or respectful.
The Impact on Survivors
Violence has the greatest impact on mental health: 63 of 88 survivors reported negative consequences in this area, and two mentioned suicidal thoughts as a direct result of the violence they experienced. 31 survivors experienced physical health consequences. Between 15 and 19 survivors reported that violence had affected their access to housing, employment, and economic stability. Trans people are disproportionately affected by poverty, making them especially vulnerable to material violence in the form of robbery and extortion.
Who Survivors Can Turn To
When state institutions fail, trans survivors of violence rely on informal support. In 33 cases, help came from friends and community; in 8 cases from family members; in 5 cases from peer support groups; and in another 5 from psychologists. The authors draw an important conclusion from this: the experience of meaningful support and recovery after violence is being built within trans communities — not within the institutions that are supposed to provide it. This means that any institutional response to anti-trans violence must be community-led and community-informed.
What Needs to Change
The report closes with a call for systemic change: the repeal of laws criminalising trans people, sex workers, and people living with HIV; mandatory training for police and healthcare professionals; and the creation of accountability mechanisms for perpetrators. The authors are clear: as long as systemic violence goes unpunished, trans people will continue to stay silent and cope alone.
The full report is available at tgeu.org.