Description
The project addresses discrimination based on sexual orientation against members of the LGBT community in Bulgaria. The project aims at raising the awareness of the LGBT community about their rights and access to legal aid and legal remedies. First, 2 lawyers will provide legal aid to LGBT people who experienced discrimination or violence. The lawyers will provide legal counseling, draft and file claims to national institutions and courts and the ECtHR and represent their clients in court proceedings. Second, educational initiatives will be organized to raise the awareness of the Bulgarian LGBT community about their rights at the workplace and how they can have access to legal aid and protection against discrimination. The educational initiatives will be held in Sofia and other large cities. Finally, monitoring of the legal counseling and awareness raising will be carried out. The project will benefit the LGBT community in Bulgaria.
Summary of project results
Bulgaria is ranked one of the last in Europe for tolerance and one of the first for discrimination of the LGBTI community. Bulgaria lacks any state policy to protect the LGBTI community from discrimination and violence despite the fact that Protection from Discrimination Act has been adopted. The administration, the courts and the laws discriminate the LGBTI community whose members are often denied access to justice. The project aimed at ensuring access to legal aid for victims of discrimination at the workplace, by the public as well as by the administration in Bulgaria and the EU. The specific goals of the project included the development of an informed and socially responsible Bulgarian LGBTI community and elimination of all forms of legal, social, cultural and economic discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. In addition, the project aimed at ensuring access to legal aid and legal representation before the courts in Bulgaria, the Court of the EU and the European Court for Human Rights as well as the Commission for Protection from Discrimination. The long-term goal has been and still is to have non-discriminatory legislation enacted to the LGBTI community. All the project goals were achieved. Members of the LGBTI community who suffered from discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity were provided with access to free legal aid. 13 cases were filed and 35 legal consultations were carried out. The training sessions carried under the project, the public discussions, debates and individual conversations helped achieve an informed LGBTI community that started seeking and defending their rights. Legal representation was provided under the project before the State Agency for Refugees to a person seeking international protection who was later on granted refugee status due to persecution in the country of origin on the grounds of sexual orientation. The project helped involve many new people in the General Assembly of the organization. The organization started being recognized as prominent organization for the development of the LGBTI community by the community members themselves. The organization started developing active cooperation with other LGBTI NGOs and civil groups and initiatives, discussing strategies to act on cases filed before the Municipality and other administrative institutions. For more information, please, visit:
www.deystvie.org and
https://www.facebook.com/lgbtdeystvie/
Summary of bilateral results