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Conversion therapies, Europe speeds up ban but remains divided

Conversion therapies remain widespread in Europe, with some advanced legislation and other countries still without a ban

by Silvia Martelli (Il Sole 24 Ore), Ana Somavilla (El Confidencial, Spain) and Dimitris Angelidis (EfSyn, Greece)

23 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Data
Greece: partial ban and high prevalence
Spain: national ban and fines of up to 150,000 euros
Italy: absence of a specific law

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

They call them 'paths of accompaniment', 'paths of healing', 'spiritual support'. In reality, conversion therapies are practices aimed at changing, repressing or suppressing a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. The UN has therefore repeatedly brought them under the category of inhuman and degrading treatment. Yet, the legal framework in Europe remains uneven: next to countries that explicitly prohibit them, others still do not have an organic ban.

The issue has returned to the centre of continental debate after the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution at the end of January 2026 calling on member states to introduce a comprehensive legislative ban. The text calls for a ban on all forms of conversion therapies, the strengthening of support services for survivors, the establishment of monitoring and data collection systems, and the promotion of awareness-raising campaigns on the harm caused by these practices.

According to ILGA Europe, which argued for coordinated action, the crucial point is to include practices presented as 'consensual' in the ban, since consent can be obtained in contexts of strong family, religious or social pressure.

Data

The most up-to-date evidence comes from the LGBTIQ III (2023) survey of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), analysed in ILGA Europe's 'Intersections 2.0' reports. The picture is fragmented: the prevalence of conversion therapy varies significantly between Member States (besides Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia). One fact, however, unites the continent: trans, non-binary and intersex people report significantly higher exposure than endosex cisgender people.

The practices also rarely take the form of clinical therapies recognised in public health systems. More often they take the form of religious retreats, intensive spiritual journeys, pseudo-psychological counselling, 'chastity' programmes or repeated family pressure, with the aim of bringing the person back to a heterosexual pattern and conforming to the gender assigned at birth.

Greece: partial ban and high prevalence

In Greece, a law of 2022 introduced a partial ban: conversion therapies are forbidden on minors and adults incapable of self-determination, and their promotion for profit by professionals is prohibited. However, they remain permitted if practised with the explicit consent of the person concerned.

LGBTQI organisations have called the standard insufficient. Orlando LGBT, which conducted one of the main national surveys, points out that the majority of those involved are between 18 and 25 years old: adults who are formally consenting but often under pressure. Moreover, those who promote such practices on a non-profit basis - such as religious figures - are essentially excluded from the scope of sanctions.

According to FRA data compiled by ILGA Europe, Greece has the highest rate in Europe: 38% of LGBTIQ people claim to have undergone conversion attempts. The testimonies collected speak of years of 'therapies' aimed at repressing gender identity, pseudo-energetic sessions with health threats, up to cases of sexual coercion in spiritual contexts.

Spain: national ban and fines of up to 150,000 euro

Spain's trajectory is different. After a series of regional laws since 2016, State Law 4/2023 for the real and effective equality of trans people and the guarantee of LGTBI rights came into force in 2023. The provision expressly prohibits 'methods, programmes and therapies of aversion, conversion or counterconditioning (...) even with the consent of the person concerned or their legal representative'. Penalties can be up to EUR 150,000, with the possibility of exclusion from public funding.

The cases that emerged in the country mainly involved conservative religious circles, not official programmes of the Catholic hierarchy. The practices took the form of closed retreats, intensive spiritual accompaniment and group dynamics based on guilt and repression of desire.

Italy: absence of a specific law

In Italia, there is no national ban on conversion therapies. The bills presented in recent years - often as part of the broader debate on combating homotransfobia - have never been passed. Any conduct can only be prosecuted through general offences (ill-treatment, private violence, abuse), but there is a lack of legislation expressly prohibiting these practices and recognising their specificity.

Italian LGBTI associations report that even in our country, attempts at 'correction' take place mainly within the family and religious sphere or through psychological paths with no scientific basis. There are no official programmes recognised by the Italian Catholic Church, but initiatives promoted by individual priests or groups that interpret homosexuality or trans identity as conditions to be overcome are denounced.

According to a September 2025 report by Meglio a Colori, one in five LGBT people have experienced conversion attempts, underlining how the phenomenon is still widespread and poorly regulated.

*This article is part of the European collaborative journalism project "Pulse"