Implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence. A Human Rights Report
- Document number
- 2049
- Date
- 2008
- Title
- Implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence. A Human Rights Report
- Author/publisher
- The Advocates for Human Rights, The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- Research/Study/Analysis,
- Keywords
- Prevention, Awareness Raising, Media, Information Campaigns, Empowerment, Advocacy, Civil society, NGO, Human Rights approach, Activism, Education, Training;
- Summary
-
On March 16, 2005, the Bulgarian Parliament adopted the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence (LPADV). The impetus for the Law came almost ten years earlier in 1997-99 through a joint project of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF) and The Advocates for Human Rights (The Advocates). In 1996, after conducting extensive research, The Advocates published a report on domestic violence as a human rights abuse, entitled Domestic Violence in Bulgaria (March 1996). This report was followed by further legal research by both organizations on domestic violence in Bulgaria and the gaps in Bulgarian legislation.
A 2006 report estimated that one in four women in Bulgaria are subject to domestic violence. According to a 2007 report, 40% of Bulgarians knew a woman victim of physical violence. The problem is cmpounded by other factors, such as weak criminal laws for punishing offenders, policies that prioritize the offender’s right to property over a victim’s safety, and traditional views that domestic violence is a private matter. - Related documents