Contributed by: Liliya Sazonova, Bulgaria National VAW Monitor

last updated 12 December 2006

EU-CIS Gender Watch: A Gender Analysis of the Bulgarian Developmental Aid, by Tania Tisheva, The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, produced by The Network of East-West Women – Poland, published Gdansk, 2008. The goal of the study is to analyse the gender perspective in development cooperation and foreign assistance and to provide recommendations for inclusion and further strengthening of the gender perspective in the Bulgarian and European development cooperation policies.

Implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence, The Advocates for Human Rights and The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF), 2008. On March 16, 2005, Bulgaria passed a new law to combat domestic violence. Since then, thousands of victims of domestic violence have come forward to use the law to obtain protection against their abusers.  Throughout 2007, the Advocates and BGRF conducted human rights monitoring to investigate implementation of the law by all principals, including the state, police, judges, prosecutors, media and NGOs. This report presents the findings and makes recommendations to improve implementation of the law. 

Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe – 2004: Focus on Prevention in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR?M, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, UN Administered Province of Kosovo,UNICEF, UNOHCHR, OSCE/ODIHR, March 2005.  
This is a comprehensive report covering the issues of trafficking in human beings, awareness raising and reintegration processes in South Eastern Europe from 2003 until April 2004. The report provides a framework for the prevention of trafficking in human beings, examines the current approaches to prevention, and analyzes the trends and challenges in the region. In Annex I, page 106, there is an overview of the situation in Bulgaria. Annex II, page131, includes Bulgaria’s national plan for action on trafficking. Annex III, page 197, includes a list of projects and activities in Bulgaria pertaining to trafficking in people.

Equal Opportunities for Women and Men: Monitoring Law and Practice in Bulgaria, Open Society Institute, 2005. (PDF, 67 Pages). 
The aim of this report is to promote awareness, advocacy and enforcement of equal opportunity legislation in Bulgaria and to build the capacity of advocates to use EU-level mechanisms effectively. The report also contains recommendations related to legislation, institutional mechanisms, policies and programs, awareness raising and research initiatives and outlines specific areas of concern.

Second Annual Report on Victims of Trafficking in South-Eastern Europe, International Organization for Migration, 2005. (PDF, 553 Pages)
This report present a comprehensive picture of the trafficking phenomenon in South Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on the needs and experiences of victims of trafficking. The report contains a detailed examination of the experience of trafficking victims in Bulgaria, starting on page 163.

Trafficking in Persons Report, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, June 2006. 
The Report is released by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, June 5, 2006. Section 6  of the Report - "Country Narratives" contains a subsection on trafficking in Persons in Bulgaria.

Legislation in the Member States of the Council of Europe in the Field of Violence Against Women, prepared in part by Jill Radford, United Kingdom, for the Council of Europe's Steering Committee for Equality Between Men and Women, March 2004 (Doc. EG 2004 2).
This report details national legislation dealing with violence against women in 38 of the 45 Council of Europe member states. In 1995, the Council requested member states to complete a questionnaire on relevant legislation, and subsequent research completed by the Council allowed for a survey of the varying legislation of member states. The report consists of two volumes, ending with a list of good practices and effective legislation prohibiting violence against women. In Volume 1, pages 63-65 contain information on Bulgaria.

2005 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Bulgaria, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 8 March 2006.
The section on Bulgaria contains information about violence against women.

Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000: Trafficking in Persons Report, U.S. Department of State, June 2005.
The Report is released by the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State, June 3, 2005. Section 5 of the report contains a subsection on trafficking in Bulgaria. The text for the Bulgaria section can be found here.

Sex trade's reliance on forced labour, Jorn Madslien, BBC News, 12 May 2005.
BBC News reporter Jorn Madslien in Sofia, Bulgaria reports on the growing demand, diversification and globalization of the sex trade. Bulgaria and other countries are a part of a large human trafficking network.

Trafficking of Bulgarian Women in the UK, Rumyana Emanuilidu, London England, 2005  (html 21 pages).
Interviews with victims of trafficking and Prosecutor Georgi Kuzmanov from the Bourgas Regional Prosecution Office.

2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bulgaria, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 28 February 2005.
Section 5 of the report contains a paragraph on the status of women in Bulgaria, and a subsection on trafficking.

2003 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices Bulgaria, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 February 2004.
This report has a section on the status of women in Bulgaria as well as a section on trafficking in Bulgaria.

Gender Equality and Ombudsman Institution, Center for the Study of Democracy, 1 November 2003. (In Bulgarian, PDF, 160 pages)
This handbook presents the mechanisms for protecting women's rights in Bulgaria and Europe and the role of the ombudsman institution. It offers a review of women's rights protection in other European countries. The publication includes information about women's networks and centers in Bulgaria, as well as a list of web sites and international events in the field of women's rights protection.

Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2003 (Events of 2002), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 24 June 2003. (PDF, 13 pages).
This report discusses the situation of women's rights in Bulgaria, as well as new developments.

Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective - Violence Against Women, Addendum 1, Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 27 Feb. 2003. (PDF, 435 pages). 
This report has information regarding rape, prostitution, trafficking and domestic violence against women in Bulgaria. Information on Bulgaria can be found on page 348.

Public Opinion on Domestic Violence, National Center for Public Opinion Polling, March 2003 (HTML, 1 Page)
This survey is based on interviews with people over 18 years of age from 125 units in 55 residence areas in Bulgaria.  The Survey was summarized and translated into English by the Women's Alliance for Development

Public Opinion on Women in Politics, National Center for Public Opinion Polling, February 2003 (HTML, 15 Pages)
This report analyzes the results of 1248 interviews taken in 125 units in 86 residence areas.

Survey of Legislative Frameworks for Combating Trafficking in Persons, Kristi Severance, American Bar Association, Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI), January 2003.
This survey presents an overview of the status of anti-trafficking legislation in 21 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, including Bulgaria. The survey includes an overview of the scope of the problem and a summary of the role of the UN Trafficking Protocol and the human rights standards that should be applied in ant-trafficking legislation.

Gender Assessment of the Impact of EU Accession on the Status of Women in the Labour Market in CEE, National Study: Bulgaria, Jivka Marinova and Mariya Gencheva (eds.), Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation and Karat Coalition, 2003. (PDF, 51 pages).
This report provides an overview of the harmonization of Bulgarian legislation to EU requirements, an analysis of women's access to jobs and equal wages, an examination of the relationship between social services and employment, and the Draft Act on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men.

A Human Rights Report on Trafficking of Persons, Especially Women and Children: Bulgaria, The Protection Project, March 2002.
This report describes the background and case examples of trafficking. The report also describes the domestic and international law on trafficking in Bulgaria.

Epidemiological Facts Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections: Bulgaria, UNAIDS, WHO and UNICEF, 2002. (PDF, 13 pages).
This report provides statistical and behavioural information on HIV/AIDS in Bulgaria.

Monitoring the EU Accession Process: Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, Open Society Institute, 2002. (PDF, 67 pages). 
This report examines Bulgaria's legislation in comparison to EU Directives in the area of equal treatment for women and men.

Survey: Women, Labor, Globalization (Summary), Agency for Social Analyses (ASA) & Women's Alliance for Development (WAD), Funded by UNIFEM, November 2001 (PDF, 107 Pages).

Women 2000 - An Investigation into the Status of Women's Rights in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the Newly Independent States, International Helsinki Federation, 5 November 2000. (PDF, 19 pages).
This is an excellent and thorough report that provides information on domestic violence, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation (including trafficking in women).

A Perspective on Women's Human Rights: Country Reports, International Helsinki Federation, 1 July 2000. (PDF, 6 pages).
This report describes legislation with regard to violence against women and provides recommendations to the government of Bulgaria based on Beijing + five.

Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in the Workplace in Bulgaria, The Advocates for Human Rights, 1999. (PDF, 36 pages).
This report documents sex discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace as human rights violations. The report analyzes the legal system of Bulgaria, including labor and employment laws, as well as the government's enforcement of these laws. The report includes information on trade union and employer responses to sex discrimination and sexual harassment and addresses Bulgaria's obligations under domestic and international law.

Domestic Violence in Bulgaria, The Advocates for Human Rights, 1996 (PDF, 26 Pages)
This report documents domestic violence as a human rights violation in Bulgaria. The report analyzes the legal system in Bulgaria, including criminal laws, police response to domestic violence, administrative procedures and divorce laws. The report also addresses Bulgaria's obligations under international law. This report is part of a series on domestic violence in the Balkans.

Overview of the Socio-Economic Position of Rural Women in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries - Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, Food and Agriculture Organisation, 1996. 
This report examines the role of rural women on the farm and in the family, their participation in education, training, and services, their knowledge of home economics, their level of household technology, problems, priorities, social security and legal issues they face, and domestic research and development programs on rural women. Section 10.10 specifically addresses Bulgaria.

If you know of online reports on human rights or women's rights that you would like to see posted on this page, please contact the Website Administrator at stopvaw@mnadvocates.org. Please provide the title, authors' names, and URL of the online report. Submission of an online report does not guarantee posting on this website, and posting is at the discretion of the Website Administrator.