The COVID-19 crisis exacerbates the risk of gender-based violence, with girls and women from marginalised groups and ethnic minorities being the most vulnerable. According to UNICEF, every third woman in the world has experienced physical and / or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by another perpetrator. In most cases, it is a matter of violence by an intimate partner.
Six women have been killed by their partner or husband in Bulgaria in the first five months of 2021. Although there are no official statistics on domestic violence, NGOs working with victims in Bulgaria indicate that the cases of physical and verbal domestic violence have increased by 80% since the beginning of the pandemic. The most serious growth was observed during the restrictive period from mid-March to mid-May last year.
Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation is one of the most severe forms of gender-based violence against women. In Bulgaria, 87% of victims of trafficking are women, 95% of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation are girls and women. The women, victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation usually come from small towns, with high levels of poverty, unemployment and marginalisation of minorities. The economic impact of the pandemic and the surge in domestic violence lead to an increased risk of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Yet in small towns, the topics of “gender-based violence”, “trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation” are remain taboo subjects for the local communities. As long as these phenomena are not addressed, girls and women remain at risk of gender-based violence.
With its 1700 inhabitants, Galiche is a small village in the Danube plain with a history rich in ancient legends and Thracian treasures, which indicate that the place was a crossroads in Roman times. Its modern history, however, is marked by the worst gender-based violence perpetrated on a girl who was raped and killed by a fellow villager in 2020. The adverse effects of the pandemic on gender-based violence globally, and the a murder of an 18-year-old girl in Galiche, motivated the Dignita Foundation to support girls and women in the village to prevent the violation of women’s rights.
Dignita Foundation aims to work with girls and young women from the Galiche community to help them identify signs of gender-based violence against women at an early stage. The initiative is funded by the French and Dutch embassies in Bulgaria. Dignita team of experts, together with informal youth leaders from the village of Galiche, will identify girls and women who are motivated to deepen their knowledge on the topic of "gender-based violence” and “trafficking for sexual exploitation."
Through training of trainers, the project aims to empower young women and girls from a vulnerable group in the village of Galiche to recognise gender-based violence against women by looking in depth at a specific form: trafficking for sexual exploitation. Through specially designed training modules, the initiative aims to “train the trainers” and build their skills to recognise signs of violence at an early stage. The project aims to enable the women and girls from Galiche to use the mechanisms for support and protection of victims of gender-based violence and human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
The project aims to empower the girls and women from the village of Galiche, thus removing them from the situation of potential victims of violence and human trafficking and enabling them to protect themselves and their relatives. Twenty Roma and ethnic Bulgarian girls and women aged between 18-35 years will take part in the training.
After the training in Galiche, Dignita will continue working with girls and women from the community, consulting them on specific cases related to gender-based violence and trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Dignita will provide highly qualified social, psychological and legal assistance to support women facing of gender-based violence. The project team will produce a short documentary, reflecting on the training and illustrating the potential of girls and young women to raise up to prevent gender-based violence.
The project is implemented with the financial support of the Embassy of the Republic France in Bulgaria and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Bulgaria, with co-financing from Dignita. The total project budget is 12 801 BGN.
According to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, the term gender-based violence against women is understood as a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women. The term violence against women means any acts of gender-based violence that result in, or are likely to result in, physical, sexual, psychological or economic harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.