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Description
Gender-based violence is the issue that gender equality focuses first of all. Any legal framework developed as a preventing and intervening legal activity in line with the EU policies has to be adapted to the national context. The project offers to study the evolution of the Bulgarian family and relations in it, analyze and identify social, economic and political models that influence family relations in Bulgaria. This analysis will help develop proposals for legislative amendments related to prevention of gender-based violence and gender equality in line with the EU law. The direct users will be all citizens, as victimization or re-victimization of victims affects not only victims themselves but also the social system, gradually attacking its values. In the short-term, a study will be carried out and made public in a monograph with data and facts about gender-based violence in the Bulgarian family and family relations in local, national, ethnic and transgender terms. The broad media coverage of the study will help the target groups make informed decisions. The analysis developed based on the study will help serve as a foundation for proposals for specific legislative initiatives. After the project ends, we are looking forward to having legislative changes in Bulgaria and putting forward proposals for successful social and legislative measures to reduce and prevent domestic violence/gender-based violence in the long run. The lead partner is a provider of social services targeted at overcoming the consequences of domestic violence/gender-based violence and thus the lead partner is well aware of the need of legislative changes in Bulgaria. Partnership with the University of Veliko Tarnovo is important with a view to the available expertise for scientific analysis of domestic violence in Bulgaria and development of proposals adapted to the national context and in line with the EU law.
Summary of project results
The issue of gender-based violence is first and foremost an equality focus. The aim of the project was to study the development of the Bulgarian family and its relations, to analyse and identify the socio-economic and political patterns affecting family relations in Bulgaria, from which to derive proposals for legislative changes aimed at preventing gender-based violence and equality in Bulgaria.
The project was implemented in partnership with the University of Veliko Tarnovo, Department of Psychology. Theoretical, quantitative and qualitative research on the relationships in the Bulgarian family was carried out. An analysis of the results was prepared. A scientific conference on the topic of domestic violence was held. A monograph, two handbooks and a collection of scientific papers on the topic were published. Scientific articles based on the research were developed and published. Numerous awareness and publicity activities were implemented with information about the results. Meetings were held in the Bulgarian and European Parliaments to present the results and proposals for changes in policies regulating domestic and gender-based violence.
The project has achieved the "capturing" of the social-psychological characteristics of the Bulgarian family, the causes and factors influencing them, in the context of domestic and gender-based violence. The identified problems were visualized in documents that were distributed among libraries, university institutions, and institutions related to the support of victims of domestic violence (politicians at national and European level; Ministry of Interior; MLSP; Regional Directorates of Social Assistance). The results of the research were presented to Bulgarian and European MEPs. They were presented to the Committee on Women''s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) of the European Parliament. Suggestions were made to politicians for changes in the educational, health, social and justice spheres, for changing and upgrading policies regulating domestic and gender-based violence. A new lecture series was introduced at the University of Veliko Tarnovo (VTU) in the discipline of Social Psychology. Awareness raising and publicity activities achieved wide public awareness of the project and its results.
The project paves the way for changes in the social, health, education and justice spheres to introduce new measures and change policies to prevent and support victims of domestic and gender-based violence.
The likelihood of positive spill-over effects from the project is high, as the scientific and representative nature of the research can be used in the formulation and implementation of policies to prevent and support survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.