Nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ individuals in Greece have been exposed to “conversion therapies,” recording the highest rate in Europe. This finding emerges both from a recent report by ILGA-Europe and from the first national study conducted by Orlando LGBT+.
So-called “conversion therapies” are pseudotherapies aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. They have been condemned by international organizations as unscientific and harmful, and have been described as a form of torture by the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims.
According to the findings, these practices are mainly carried out by mental health professionals (52%), religious officials (24%), healthcare professionals (9%), and other “therapists” or individuals without a clear scientific background (15%).
In Greece, such therapies are allowed if there is “consent,” which, according to experts, indirectly legitimizes dangerous practices.
Their forms vary: from psychological pressure and inducing guilt, to behavioral “corrective” practices, punishment and deprivation in religious settings, and even physical or sexual abuse (including so-called “corrective” rape, mainly in religious contexts). The consequences for mental health are particularly severe, including increased levels of depression, anxiety, and self-harm, and they are associated with up to a 30% likelihood of suicide attempts.
At the legislative level, Greece moved in 2022 to ban “conversion therapies.” However, the current framework is considered incomplete, as it allows their application where “consent” is given. Experts note that this exception creates a dangerous loophole which, in practice, may legitimize and perpetuate harmful practices, leaving minors and young people particularly vulnerable.
Source: The Press Project
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