Today, 29.03.2016, the Gender Alternatives Foundation team received an invitation to present a representative to take part in an Inter-ministerial working group which aim is to prepare the necessary conditions for the ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women, including domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention).

The invitation came from the Ministry of Justice.

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 www.eeagrants.org

Date: 29.01.2016 - 10.00 am

Location: Plovdiv BTA press center

Organization: Gender Alternatives Foundation

Partner:Animus Association Foundation

(www.animusassociation.org)

Theme: Presentation of the final report on the implementation of the project BG05/755 "Together – to ensure justice for vulnerable groups of people"

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On 20.01.2016, Gender Alternatives Foundation prepared official letters to the Council of Ministers,

Ministry of Justice, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Commission for Protection against Discrimination and the Ombudsman presenting its opinion on the legal amendments needed within the legislation related to gender based violence.

At the moment, the Protection against Domestic Violence Act and the Criminal Code do not protect adequately the rights and interests of women victims of gender based violence which is in contradiction with the CEDAW, the ECHR, the EU law and the Istanbul Convention.

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On 19.01.2016, the Ombudsman of Bulgaria – Ms. Maya Manolova, organized a public discussion on the Draft law of equality between women and men, presented in the Parliament by the Council of Ministers on 20.11.2015.

Part in the discussion took the Ombudsman, the Minister of Labour and Social Policy – Mr. Ivaylo Kalfin, Members of the Parliament – Chairpersons and deputy Chairpersons of relevant parliamentary commissions, representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, NGOs and Media.

On behalf of the Gender Alternatives Foundation, Milena Kadieva – the Managing director of the foundation, took part in the discussion.

The Gender Alternatives Foundation’s opinion on the Draft law on equality between women and men could be found here:

The GAF opinion was also presented to the Council of ministers and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.

Following the 22^nd session of the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review, held for Bulgaria on 7 May 2015 in Geneva, in September 2015 the Bulgarian government accepted to implement the folowing UN recommendations:

-          to adopt a law on the equal opportunities for women and men;

-         to continue its efforts in order to ensure the effective application of the UN Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women by fully applying the  legislation on gender-based violence, including the enforcement of effective punishments for perpetrators in accordance with CEDAW Committee recommendations;

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