CAHROM thematic visit to Finland on Roma women’s access to justice

(21-23 March 2018) - presentation by Ms Rositsa IVANOVA, Secretary

and Senior Programme Officer, Secretariat of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria

The National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues is a coordinative and consultative body, assisting the Government in formulating the policy on the integration of minorities. In the Council are represented all Ministries at the level of a Deputy Minister, heads of six departments - executives, state agencies, the National Statistical Institute, a representative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria, as well as NGOs.

The JUSTROM programme was launched in Bulgaria in the autumn of 2016. On November 8, 2016, a meeting was held with the cooperation of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues in Sofia, where JUSTROM and the programme objectives were announced. On November 24 and 25, 2016 at Law Centre Training Centre "Krastyu Tsonchev" in Sofia a training was held on non-discrimination and human rights. The training was conducted with the assistance of the National Bureau for Legal Aid and the Commission for Protection against Discrimination. With the assistance of the National Bureau of Legal Aid and the Bar Associations in the cities of Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo, information about the JUSTROM programme and the opportunities for participation in it was popularized. From February 2017, consultations began in the legal centres in the cities of Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo and the region. The Consultancy Centre in Plovdiv worked with the assistance of the Municipality of Plovdiv, which provided a room for the consultations. In the town of Veliko Tarnovo the counselling room was provided by the Bar Association. Each clinic employs a lawyer, a lawyer's associate, and a facilitator who helps promote the programme across the community and helps legal aid seekers in their contacts with the institutions. For the period from February 2017 to February 2018, more than 1000 people in Bulgaria were informed about the programme and were equally legally advised. More than 200 people have been assisted in submitting applications and complaints to the relevant institutions. Most of them are women from the Roma community. Over 180 of the cases that were counselled were related to gender-based violence, including domestic violence and human trafficking. A significant number of cases concern issues of origin, family matters, access to services, including water and communication services, access to employment and social assistance as well as criminal and enforcement proceedings. On 8, 9 and 10 November 2017, training of 15 police officers on human rights and non-discrimination was conducted. The activities of the programme were implemented in partnership with the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, the National Bureau for Legal Aid, the Municipalities of Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo, Strazhitsa, Lyaskovets, Zlataritsa and others, Veliko Tarnovo Bar Association and NGOs.