Over 200 women victims of domestic violence in the country have been granted legal assistance. This was announced by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). They have been consulted by lawyers registered in the National Register for Legal Aid in the districts of Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo and Varna over the past two years.
Some of the victims have already been granted restraining orders by the court to keep them away from the abuser, while others have been accommodated in crisis centres. They are currently pursuing custody cases with the help of lawyers. This was reported by the National Legal Aid Bureau (NLAB) on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
A total of 40 lawyers, together with mediators, have toured the remote settlements and neighbourhoods in the three districts in order to shorten the distance as much as possible with people who need to defend their rights but do not know how.
The mobile groups were formed by the NLAB during the implementation of a project financed by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.
„It is not rare that victims do not perceive their abuse as violence, but as a form of deserved punishment. One of our important goals is to teach people to recognize violence, to know their rights and to seek protection,„, Project manager, Adv. Dilyana Giteva said.
This is the reason why trainings have been organized in local schools, in which mediators working on the project take an active part.
„The National Legal Aid Bureau organized meetings with the local institutions in Stara Zagora, Varna and Veliko Tarnovo this year, resulting in the establishment of a pilot coordination mechanism for the protection of gender-based victims. This is how the activities of the legal profession, the Ministry of the Interior, the court, the Prosecutor’s Office and the social services against domestic violence are synchronized,“, Chairwoman of the NLAB Nataliya Ilieva said.
One of the goals is that every report of domestic violence, no matter where it is filed, will also be sent to the Legal Aid Bureau, which will assign a lawyer to go on the spot and advise the victim, the Ministry of Justice explained.
