In Bulgaria, the Mobilise Against Sexism project supported by the Council of Europe has been implemented by the Bulgarian Platform of the EWL, EWL’s national coordination in the country.
The Bulgarian Platform of the EWL disseminated the CoE Recommendation at the national level through our Facebook page, as well as the websites and Facebook pages of our members. They prepared, presented and disseminated six Powerpoint presentations on the project, the CoE Recommendation and the campaign during the online conference, which was organized in November 2020.
25 participants took part in the conference, including representatives of the Plovdiv University, schools, youth centers, regional authorities, municipalities, courts, prosecutors’ offices, Police, social services, NGOs, and media in the region of Plovdiv in Bulgaria.
The programme highlighted several topics, namely:
- EWL’s work in the area of women’s human rights protection, including in the area of sexism,
- the work of the Plovdiv University in the area of women’s human rights protection, including in the area of sexism,
- the CoE Recommendation and the relevant international and European human rights legislation,
- examples of sexism in the national context,
- the standards for media work in the area of sexism,
- a proposal for Ethical rules on sexism for the work of the local Media in Plovdiv,
- a proposal for Ethical rules on sexism for the work of the Plovdiv University, Philosophy and History Faculty, Sociology and Human Science Department.
Their partners in the implementation of the Mobilise Against Sexism campaign included educational institutions (Plovdiv University), the media (Plovdiv Media), and the Government (Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs). As a result of this campaign, the issue of sexism was included in the National Strategy for Gender Equality (2021-2030). It is planned for the Government to adopt legislation in accordance with the CoE Recommendation.
The Bulgarian Platform of EWL believes the campaign achieved many positive outcomes in Bulgaria. Both the local media in Plovdiv and Plovdiv University drafted a proposal for Ethical rules on sexism in the workplace. Additionally, the Bulgarian Platform of the EWL created a new website to continue raising awareness on the issue of sexism, as well as the issue of women’s human rights protection in general.
The work in the area of women’s human rights protection needs to be continued, with the support of the government, civil society, and all citizens. It was concluded that campaigns such as the one of the CoE are successful in motivating the States to adopt relevant legislation in the area of women’s human rights protection. Only the common efforts of large groups of NGOs can change the situation of women at the European level.
To learn more about EWL’s collaborative Mobilise against sexism project and its implementation in other European countries click here.
To learn more about the Council of Europe’s campaign See it. Name it. Stop it. click here.
