By Lucy Durnin • April 18, 2008 - 14:03
Young LGBT people are facing homophobic bullying when they are still in education.
A new report released by the Council of Europe this week has acknowledged that suicide rates among young LGBT people are "significantly higher" than the general population.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council (PACE) is now appealing to European Union (EU) member states to take a series of measures aiding risk detection and prevention of child and teenage suicide, including repeat attempts.
The document, Child and teenage suicide in Europe: A serious public health issue reaffirms "the importance the PACE attaches to respecting sexual and physical differences and emphasises its commitment to combating homophobia and the stigma attached to all sexual behaviours, including transexualism."
The Council of Europe, which sits in Strasbourg, France, predates the EU.
It places particular emphasis on legal standards and protection of human rights and serves 800 million Europeans across 47 countries.
Bernard Marquet, rapporteur of the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee, speaking at a debate on the report said: "It is crucial that governments recognise teenage suicide as a major public health problem and implement appropriate health and welfare policies to prevent such despairing acts."
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