site.btaJustice Minister Yordanova Takes Part in European Conference on Fighting Violence against Women

Bulgarian Justice Minister Nadezhda Yordanova took part in an online European conference on mobilizing law enforcement to fight domestic violence on March 7, the day before International Women's Day, the Justice Ministry said.

Addressing the forum organized by the French Presidency of the EU Council, Yordanova said that today the focus on women's rights is even more important than in peace times. Women refugees seeking asylum and their children are at an even greater risk of becoming victims of violence due to their insecure status and their often difficult living circumstances.

The event opened with a statement of firm support for Ukraine by the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Yordanova stressed that violence against women, children and other vulnerable persons hampers their access to human rights and freedoms. This is an instance of discrimination and covers any actions leading to physical, psychological, economic or sexual violence.

The Bulgarian government has set the prevention and fight against all forms of violence against women and girls as one of its key priorities. Legal mechanisms have been put in place to protect victims of violence, including through free legal representation before all court instances and encouraging victims to report incidents to the police, said Yordanova.

Responding to the escalation of cases of domestic violence during the pandemic, the Justice Ministry has acted urgently to finalize draft amendments to legislation so as to eliminate shortcomings. The aim is to ensure additional measures for effective prevention and social support of the victims and for prosecution of the perpetrators.

Yordanova emphasized that the debate of the Bulgarian legislative proposals will take into account the Vade-Mecum discussed at the conference, which sets forth good practices against domestic violence for the law enforcement authorities.