EGGPRAGUE JUNE 2005

FEMINIST MOBILISATION

THE BULGARIAN CASE

National Assemblies Mandates Total Women %

 7(33)NA  1976-1981 400 78 19,5

 8(34)NA   1981-1986 400  87 21,75

 9(35)NA   1986-1990 400 84 21

7 Great NA   1990-1991 400 34 8.5

36 NA   1991-1994 240 (32) 34 (13,3)14,1

37 NA   1995-1997 240 (36) 32 (15) 13,3

38 NA   1997-2001 240 (26) 27 (10,83)11,2

39 NA   2001-2005 240 63 26,25

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT1976-2005

Government Total Women %

1976-1981 65 5 7.6

1981-1986 83 2 2.4

1986-1990 53 2 3.7

 08.02.1990-21.09.1990 25 2 8

22.09-1990-20.12.1990 20  2 10

1990-1991 20 1 5

1991-1992 18 1 5.5

1992-1994 16  0 0

1994-1995 17 2 11.8

1995-1997 20 1 5

1997   18 1 5.5

1997-2001 19 3 15.7

2001-2003 22 3 13.6

2003-2005 17 5 29.4

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN BULGARIAN GOVERNMENT 1976-2005

TYPE OF WOMEN NGOS EXAMPLE

Lobbying and financing organizations Center of Women’s Studies and Policies”

Gender Project for Bulgaria

Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation

NGOs struggling against domestic, sexual, and emotional violence

Animus Association

Nadia Centre for Women Victims of Violence

NGOs supporting marginalized, minority or other types of non-traditional groups

Centre for Multiethnic dialogue and Tolerance

Roma independent Women’s’ Organization

European Roma Fund – PAKIV

NGO’s oriented towards charity work and donations

National Civil Forum “ Bulgarka”

Association “Single Mother”, Burgas

Mothers of Our Children”, Ruse

NGOs of women in academia Bulgarian Association of University Women

Women’s unions as parts of the political parties

Center of Historical and Politological Research in BSP

Political club “Democratic Women’s Union

CASE STUDY “TRAFFICKING”

Bulgaria is “primary country of origin for trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation”. Yet it is also a transit and destination country.

• In accordance with the signed agreements and declarations and after a number

of discussions in 2002 a team of experts from governmental and non-

governmental institutions presented to the parliament a “Combating Trafficking

in Human Beings Act”.

• The legislation was passed in May 2003 without any serious obstructions or

intensive parliamentary debates.

• The new law opened space for implementation of secondary legislation.

BULGARIAN COALITION FOR GENDER EQUALITY

The Coalition agrees upon several issues that require feminist mobilization:

• the lack of juridical mechanisms, providing proper implementation of the

laws that have been already passed- the anti-discrimination law, the anti-

trafficking law, and the law for prevention of domestic violence;

• the negative vote for the “Bill for equal rights and opportunities” and its

future in next 40th National Assembly:

• the persistent insensitivity among politicians and society in general on the

issues of gender.

DISPUTE WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF POLITICAL PARTIES ON THE POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF BULGARIAN WOMEN

Women in the lists

BSP NMSS UDF MRF DSB BNUNew Times

Coalition of the Rose

Overall № 28 57 20 23 38 23 35 33

Leaders 2 7 2 4 5 3 6 4

In 2nd position

7 12 4 1 5 2 7 2

In 3rd position

8 9 4 6 7 5 7 3

In 4th position

5 12 4 6 14 4 6 9

Last 5 14 6 5 6 8 6 13

Lower 1 3 --- 1 1 1 3 2

PRESENCE OF BULGARIAN WOMEN IN ELECTORAL LISTS

GENERAL ELECTIONS 25 JUNE 2005

BSP – Bulgarian Socialist PartyUDF – United Democratic ForcesNMSS – National Movement Simeon the Second

MRF – Movement for Rights and FreedomDSB – Democrats for Strong BulgariaBNU – Bulgarian National Union