United States Department of State

Lithuania United States Department of State

The most serious human rights problems related to aspects of the justice system, children's welfare, and intolerance toward minorities. In the justice system, conditions were substandard in a number of prison and detention facilities, and lengthy pretrial detention continued to be a problem. Children experienced abuse, both in families and in institutions, where they continued to be placed despite risks to their health and increased exposure to delinquency, trafficking, and prostitution. Intolerance was manifested in the form of xenophobia, anti-Semitism, prejudice against ethnic minorities and against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex persons (LGBTI). Roma, in particular, experienced poor living conditions often in areas of high crime, and faced social exclusion and discrimination. Additional problems included "antipropaganda" laws that restricted freedom of speech and expression, authorities' refusal to grant asylum interviews to persons deemed to have arrived from "safe" countries of origin or transit, and isolated reports of government corruption. Laws against spousal rape were inadequate, and domestic violence was widespread. There was a culture of silence around sexual harassment. Trafficking in persons remained a problem. Facilities for treating persons with disabilities, especially mental disabilities, remained seriously inadequate. The government took measures to prosecute or otherwise punish officials who committed abuses, whether in the security services or elsewhere.