Social and Legal Actions to Combat Honor Related Abuses 

Honor Related Abuses in social and legal aspect is the new topic in the project portfolio of Center for Sustainable Communities Development. The legislation lacks a definition of abuse or violence in the name of honor and a data collection system. This is to review the project in the next two years.

​Leading partner in the project is Center for Sustainable Communities Development. The other two partners are KUN Center for Equality and Diversity, Norway and Women  Lawyers Association, Bulgaria.

​Social and Legal Action to Combat Honor Related Abuses Project has already started.
For the past few months, a project website was created - http://hra-project.eu/. Here you can find useful information about honor related violence and crimes and updates of the project processing.The project visual identity is a also a fact – new logo and banners are ready. A set of communication materials will be a fact beginning of next year where an opening press conference will be organized.

​Follow the project website for more update information about the project or follow www.activecitizensfund.bg

Press conference on honor-related abuses in Bulgaria ​

Source: Bulgarian Telegraph Agency. Date: 04.02.2020

​Honor-related crimes are almost unknown in our country. However, it turns out that for some citizens of Bulgaria this is part of their everyday life. This was made clear at a press conference on "Social and legal action to combat honor related abuse" project on February 4.

The project manager Ms. Diana Georgieva presented the problem of abuses in the name of honor and the border between values, traditions and violence in front of more than 20 journalists and stakeholders. Through the “umbrella of shame”, she described all kinds of violence of this type and emphasized the need for action and recognition of the problem by each of us. She also highlighted the differences between this type of violence and domestic violence - different values, the involvement of other family members in crimes and patriarchal relationships in some communities. The expert also recalled a case in her personal practice when she met a woman victim of honor-related abuse and she said to her:

​"I am not angry that my father sold me.
​I only regret that it gave me so cheap. I cost more! "

​This type of crime affects everyone in the community, as victims often drop out of school early, so they cannot sell themselves well in the labor market or are not allowed to do so. This, in turn, in view of the worsening demographic crisis in Bulgaria, is indicative of more serious economic crashes in the future.

In Bulgaria, the problem is recognized mainly among ethnic Roma, but we do not know what is happening with other minority and religious groups. Therefore, a sociological survey will be conducted within the project on the dissemination of these practices in Bulgaria and then an advocacy campaign will be conducted. It will include public consultations and roundtables on the preparation of a petition to appeal for changes to the law on honor-related abuses.

An important partner in the project is the Women's Advocates Association. Its chairman lawyer Elka Porominska acquainted the participants in the pressconference with the case law in Bulgaria regarding honor-related crimes. She also drew attention to several international documents regulating this type of crime and clarified the difference between child and early marriages. According to her analysis, fines related to the matrimonial life tend to range up to BGN 1000, and very often individuals receive only administrative punishment because they have a purely judicial background. Lawyer Porominska also explained that the penalties imposed were such that they did not lead to a preventive effect and to a real prevention of the performed acts.

Follow the project website for more update information about the project or follow www.activecitizensfund.bg

This article was created with the financial support of the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The responsibility for the content of the document lies with the Center for Sustainable Communities Development and under no circumstances can it be assumed that this document reflects the official opinion of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism and the Operator of the Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria.