Elina Genova, PHG “St. Cyril and Methodius“, Veliko Tarnovo, 11th grade

The 14th article of the European Convention on Human Rights guarantees the right to protection against discrimination. However, in Bulgaria, many people experience discrimination in various forms in their daily lives. This has led to protests and the formation of new organizations and movements that aim to address this global issue.

Are women’s rights violated in Veliko Tarnovo?

25 October 2022 was the 40th anniversary of Bulgaria’s ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Ironically, just three months later, on January 27, 2023, the 48th National Assembly rejected the important and long-awaited bill amending the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence (LPDV). Around one year later, there were many scandals about the Istanbul Convention’s ratification, which defends women’s rights. Many people mistakenly believe that the Convention is relevant to gender identity and LGBTQ+ people, when in fact it solely concerns women.

According to data from the European Parliament, one in three women in the EU, or about 62 million women, have been victims of physical or sexual violence, and over 55% of women over the age of 15 in the Union have been victims of sexual harassment at least once.

Veliko Tarnovo, as a large city with around 67,000 citizens, is not excluded from the problem. Viktoria Velcheva, an 18-year-old activist from the city, is affected by this enormous problem and is aiming to spread awareness about it through events and discussions. She is participating in a small NGO called “Solidaria” in which she advocates for equality as she organizes different social events, information campaigns, discussions, LGBTQ+ meetings for support, and workshops with youth with disabilities.

“Discrimination towards women can be seen in different variations – the pay gap, lack of reproductive rights, feminized workforce, low representation of women in politics, and lack of statistics about cases of domestic violence and prevention centers. It is very important to remember that not only direct action is crucial – inaction also influences the problem, but in a bad way. In Bulgaria, there is a significant lack of state mechanisms that are implemented in some Western countries and work well. These nations have already fixed some of their problems, while here this is still a taboo topic.

As a woman, I see discrimination every day. I also notice many social problems we should work on to achieve equality. That is why 2 years ago I joined the feminist movement in Veliko Tarnovo and helped organize protests. I am also part of the social center “Solidaria” which focuses on community support, art, and activism,” says Viktoria.

During an interview with journalists from “Euronews,” Zornitsa Shumanova, the head of the “Domestic Violence” sector in the Main Directorate of the National Police Office, shared that Veliko Tarnovo and Pernik had the highest number of cases of domestic violence in 2023. Knowing this alarming statistic, the cities have taken steps to address the issue. Annual protests are held on National Women’s Day (8th March) and the National Day against Domestic Violence (25th November). Social events that spread awareness about this important subject are not many, but still, the “Ekaterina Karavelova” foundation and other non-governmental organizations like “Solidaria” organize them. The crisis center “Turnovgrad” is another organization that provides assistance to individuals affected by violence, especially domestic violence, and trafficking.

Violence in schools – a problem that we often ignore

“In my point of view, in Bulgaria, we have laws against discrimination but in most cases, the solutions to the conflicts in schools are not based on these laws. For me, violence and discrimination are caused by some students’ misunderstanding of freedom in school and, of course, by their bad upbringing. Usually, they have never been limited by parents’ demands and house rules. This can easily be noticed in schools. Teachers are finding it difficult to deal with such kids, who are, by the way, getting more and more, compared to past decades. I know that conflicts have always been a part of life, but anti-violence mechanisms in schools were more effective and stricter before. For me, the biggest problem is that students disobey school rules,” says Tanya Misheva, a high school teacher in Veliko Tarnovo.

According to UNICEF, over a third (35%) of the children and young people in Bulgaria report being humiliated or insulted at school. Out of all the reported cases of emotional abuse experienced, 90.2% were committed by other students.

This is a major problem everywhere in Bulgaria. In Veliko Tarnovo, reports of violence in schools are frequently covered in the media, yet there seems to be a lack of effective solutions. Although there are some campaigns, no organizations appear to be actively working towards addressing this problem.

LGBTQ+ rights – do gay people feel safe in Veliko Tarnovo?

While there is no official statistic about the number of cases of violence towards people from the LGBTQ+ community, we are aware of some terrible acts of homophobic aggression that occurred a few years ago in Sofia and Plovdiv. These incidents, along with numerous other unreported cases, make LGBTQ+ individuals concerned about their safety. According to a survey by the Bilitis Foundation, the vast majority of LGBTQ+ people in Bulgaria (80%) believe that our country is a worse place for people like them to live in compared to most EU countries.

Currently, there is no organization in Veliko Tarnovo that works specifically for LGBTQ+ rights. However, there are some events that provide support for LGBTQ+ individuals. For instance, an exhibition featuring only LGBTQ+ artists was organized in the social space “Solidaria,” and weekly meetings are held for queer people who want to be in a supportive and secure community.

A path forward – what is our direction?

“In Veliko Tarnovo, there are a lot of organizations that deal with inequality in its different aspects – for example, “Amalipe” (Roma people’s rights), “Solidaria,” “Ekaterina Karavelova” (women’s rights), and there were a lot of support centers for Ukrainian migrants after the start of the war. Social services are at a higher level in Veliko Tarnovo. So I believe this city is one of the good examples of active young people and functional organizations,” says Viktoria Velcheva.

However, Veliko Tarnovo still suffers from some major issues that need to be addressed. The architectural environment is inaccessible for people with disabilities and mothers with strollers, and the city also has a high number of domestic violence cases and aggression in schools. Many individuals are advocating for equality and non-discrimination, and institutions need to listen more carefully to their voices.