More than half of organisations surveyed worldwide either do not have adequate measures in place to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children from harm, or their staff are unaware if such measures exist, according to new research by international child safeguarding network Keeping Children Safe (KCS).

One-hundred and fifty organisations were surveyed on their institutional readiness to safeguard LGBTI* children in line with their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Child Safeguarding Standards, which apply to all children under the age of 18, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Safeguarding these vulnerable children is especially critical because despite progress on LGBTI rights over the last 25 years, LGBTI children around the world still suffer significant levels of discrimination and abuse. LGBTI* children report higher levels of sexual abuse than their heterosexual counterparts, they are disproportionally represented in the foster care system and 9 out of 10 LGBTI students experience some form of mistreatment or bullying in school. Too often, these children are put at risk by inadequate or non-existent safeguarding measures in the organisations that are supposed to serve them. Read more via OutNewsGlobal