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Description
Violation of human rights in Bulgaria in relation to domestic violence, sexual violence and trafficking in human beings has been an issue recognized by the European Court of Human Rights and by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The project aims at improving the application of the international standards for protection of human rights, holding campaigns to raise awareness about human rights, including involvement of young people as well as providing legal aid and counselling to victims of discrimination and violation of human rights. It is expected that the project will help achieve the goals through the following outcomes: 6 press conferences, 1 website, 3 studies on gender-based violence (GBV), i.e. domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, 170 national judgments on cases of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking and 10 international court judgments, legal representation of 180 victims of gender-based violence, 3 specialized programmes for support of victims of domestic violence and GBV with emphasis on Roma women and girls, legal and psychological support to 400 victims of domestic violence and GBV with emphasis on Roma women and girls, 1 training for development of specialized programmes victims of domestic violence and GBV with emphasis on Roma women and girls, 4 training workshops on GBV, 124 trained specialists, 5 discussions with students, 100 trained students, 3 focus groups with young people, 45 trained young people, 3 focus groups with victims of violence, 15 trained victims of violence, 9 videos about GBV, 3 monitoring reports. The direct beneficiaries are victims of domestic violence and GBV, mainly Roma women and girls, the people employed in this field and the society. The project partners will contribute to the successful implementation of the project in several parts of the country with their experience and expertise in protection of human rights.
Summary of project results
Violation of human rights in Bulgaria in the field of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking is a problem recognized by the European Court of Human Rights.
According to the data of the Ministry of the Interior, every fourth woman in Bulgaria is a victim of domestic violence. In 2017, 29 women were killed by their husbands or partners in the country. Their number in 2018 was 35. According to the data of the prosecutor''s office, 588 proceedings for sexual crimes were registered in 2017. According to the data of the National Commission for Combating Human Trafficking, 856 reports of human trafficking were registered with the commission in period 2015-2016. Due to the huge number of injured persons and the insufficiently effective implementation of our country''s legislation in these three areas, the project envisaged activities aimed at direct assistance to the injured, training of law enforcers and raising public awareness on these topics.
Therefore, in accordance with the specific goal of the selected priority, the project improved the implementation of international standards for the protection of human rights, campaigns were held to raise awareness of human rights, incl. by involving young people, as well as providing legal aid and counseling for victims of discrimination and human rights violations.
The project implemented the planned activities: 6 press conferences, 1 webpage, 3 studies on the topic of gender-based violence - domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, 138 national decisions in cases of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking and 3 international decisions , legal representation of more than 180 victims of gender-based violence, 3 specialized programs to support victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence with a focus on women and girls of Roma origin, legal and psychological support to more of 400 victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, with a focus on women and girls of Roma origin, 1 training to create the specialized programs for victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, with a focus on women and girls from Roma origin, 4 trainings in the field of gender-based violence, more than 124 trained specialists, 5 discussions with students, more than 100 trained students, 3 focus groups with young people, more than 45 trained young people, 3 focus groups with victims of violence, more than 15 trained victims of violence, 3 videos on gender-based violence.
The direct beneficiaries of the project are: victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, with a focus on women and girls of Roma origin, those working in these spheres and the whole society. The project partners (4th of the most active organizations in Bulgaria in the field of human rights and protection from domestic violence) contributed to its successful implementation in several areas of the country, taking into account their experience and expertise in the protection of human rights.
Civil society organizations are increasingly involving young people in their activities, including them as volunteers, including them in human rights campaigns. The project Improved the implementation of international human rights standards. Legal aid and counseling was provided for victims of discrimination and human rights violations. Campaigns were held to raise awareness of human rights.
The project was implemented in five regions: Sofia, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Smolyan and Kardzhali. Two are disadvantaged: Smolyan and Kardzhali. It is clear from the data of the Ministry of the Interior, the Prosecutor''s Office and the National Criminal Court that there are very few cases of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. There are no non-governmental organizations protecting human rights working in them. Beneficiaries and direct beneficiaries of the project were disadvantaged groups of the population: victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, with a focus on women and girls of Roma origin. The state does not recognize any social services in the field of domestic and sexual violence, and in the field of protection against human trafficking, it recognizes the social service Shelter for victims of trafficking, but there are only three places in the country, namely in Sofia, Varna and Burgas.