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Description
The increased influx of refugees and migrants to Bulgaria over the last couple of years has drawn attention to the importance of respecting the human rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. Even though Bulgaria has ratified the main international legislative tools and has transposed the EU Directives regarding international protection and migration, observations of field work as well as the reports of international observers show that there is serious shortage regarding respect for human rights. Practices violating human rights such as push-backs from the territory and refusal to give access to the asylum procedure, detention in migration facilities at odds with the principles of necessity and proportionality, deportation carried out without risk assessment and in a humiliating and inhuman manner and asylum procedures without an assessment of the individual circumstances are common and extensively documented. The project aims to provide legal aid (counselling, representation before administrative institutions and courts) to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, and advocacy before the officials working with them and judges and thus contribute to better respect for human rights in individual cases, as well as to a positive change in institutional and court practices in Bulgaria. The two partners will work together to reach out to a greater number of end users and join efforts to provide legal aid based on the best legal standards in the field. The joint work will include regular supervision and coordination meetings between the legal experts and the teams of the two organizations. The partnership is also aimed at achieving broader and long-term strategic cooperation, exchange of experience and expertise, joint advocacy at national and international level for the effective protection of human rights of refuges and migrants.
Summary of project results
The main goal of the project "Effective legal aid for refugees and migrants in Bulgaria" was to help respect both the individual human rights of refugees, migrants and asylum seekers, and to change institutional and judicial practices and legislation.
This was achieved by providing legal aid to asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, through advocacy and communication. For the entire project implementation period, the lawyers from the teams of the lead and partner organizations provided a total of 1,208 hours of legal consultations and 1,967 hours of legal representation to 354 end users. 6 analyzes with recommendations (Policy Brief) were published, touching on key topics in the refugee-migrant sphere. 9 articles were published about the countries of origin of persons seeking protection or migrants in our country, presented in an interesting, accessible, artistic way, with interviews relevant to the countries of origin with representatives of these countries.
Stories and interviews, as well as expert analysis on advocacy, are available on the project website migrantrights.eu. The articles and interviews are collected in a boutique edition, which is also uploaded to the project''s website and distributed in hard copy.