Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation - Projects page

Advanced strategies for combating violence against women: Pilot legal aid and legal clinics scheme

The project is funded by the Dutch foundation NOVIB

The main aim of the project is to establish a pilot system of effective legal resources to respond to domestic violence, sexual harassment and sex discrimination through legal services and volunteer attorney networks.
The main targets of the project are women victims of violence, lawyers, judges, and students in law.

Specific objectives of the project:

• Enhancing and strengthening the capacity of the legal community to respond to violence against women;
• Developing networks of lawyers and volunteer lawyers to provide legal representation to women victims and to prepare students committed to this task;
• Creating the environment for encouraging women victims to look for legal support;
• Influencing governmental policy and legislation.

Results:

• Increased self-confidence of women victims of violence and increased trust in the legal remedies and representatives;
• Strengthened NGO networks and links between the organizations dealing with victims of violence and the legal community; 
• Increased awareness, interest and involvement of the students in this issue;
• Established scheme for legal aid in Sofia, Plovdiv, Bourgas, Varna and Silistra and legal clinics in Plovdiv and Bourgas;
• The number of clients addressed by the program attained 200 for the period of 2 years.

On the initiative of the participants to this project and as a result of its achievements a Draft law for Protection against Domestic violence was elaborated with experts of BGRF and Lawyers working on the program and was presented to a member of the Parliament from the majority in the beginning of December 2001. The Draft is still under consideration by MPs and not yet introduced.

01 April 2001