site.btaAnti-violence Conference Held in Yambol

Recognising domestic violence among women and children of Roma ethnicity is still low, according to a survey presented at a conference against violence in Yambol on Wednesday. 

The analysis was funded under the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and presented by Daniela Ilcheva from the Re-Action Project Team. The survey was conducted among mothers of Roma origin and children from 5th to 12th grade and shows that the signs of domestic violence and gender-based violence are still difficult to recognise, said Ilcheva.

Dr Borislav Ganchev, head of the Justice Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the Justice Minister's chef de cabinet, said that one of the main problems is the coordinated response of the institutions in cases of violence. A National Coordination Mechanism for this purpose is expected to be ready soon, he pointed out. "The implemented project shows precisely that the governmental and non-governmental sectors, the local authority, can work together and in a coordinated manner", Ganchev said.

Tundzha Municipality Mayor Stancho Stavrev said that the topic of violence prevention is particularly important in small towns. "Very often in small communities, with low parental capacity, the subject of violence remains unrecognisable and must be explained to be identified in the end. That's what the specialists on this project do," he said.

Stoicho Stoichev, Chair of the Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "There is much to be done in the workplace related to gender and ethnic violence. While the family is the smallest unit of society, the workplace is quite different. There are people there with different education backgrounds, with different social statuses and positions in the management hierarchy of the company. All this is a prerequisite for creating situations in which violence can be used on different grounds," said

The Re-Action Project has been implemented over the past 15 months in the Yambol region by the Euroclub Women Association in partnership with Tundzha Municipality and the Yambol Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The initiative aims to prevent and recognise various forms of violence - at home, at school, at the workplace, on social networks. In addition to an active information campaign, manuals were issued and SOS offices with psychologists were created in schools. Informal trainings and explanatory meetings on workplace violence were also held in various companies in the region.