site.btaEWL President Balabanova: "Bulgaria's Refusal to Ratify Istanbul Convention Is National Manifestation of Global Issue"

"Bulgarian women's dignity and life are not protected because of Bulgaria's refusal to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention," European Women's Lobby (EWL) President Iliana Balabanova said in a BTA interview.

She stressed that this refusal is "a national manifestation of a global issue" and makes advocacy of women's rights and human rights in general even more challenging for the NGOs active in this field.

"The way the whole debate regarding this Convention was conducted is a shame for Bulgarian politicians because downright lies were said about its content. That happened during a period of political volatility which continues today. Instead of considering how to protect Bulgarian citizens, the powerholders prioritized their political ambitions," the EWL President pointed out.

Domestic violence is an institutional issue, and one in three women in Bulgaria is a victim of violence, the interviewee noted.

"These ultra-reactionary movements did not emerge in this country, they circulate all over the world, and the attitude to women's rights they foster leads to a loss of what the organizations have already achieved. As a result, certain political forces openly speak of  'putting women in their right place and resumption of their traditional role, which is limited to being mothers and wives', and refusing to protect women's rights in many respects," Balabanova commented. "All this places NGOs in a very difficult situation, they are demonized and accused of leading all society to devastation," she said, stressing that this is absolutely untrue and that the NGOs actually endeavour every day and every minute to save lives.

While it is true that Bulgaria is not the only country where the raison d'etre of the Istanbul Convention is missed, Bulgaria is still one of the few European countries that have not yet ratified it, Balabanova noted. "Most of Bulgarian society believes that the Convention opens the door to same-sex marriages and to fostering the so-called 'gender ideology'," she explained, arguing that "same-sex marriages are not mentioned anywhere in the Istanbul Convention". "It only says that any victim of domestic violence or of gender-based violence has the right to protection, without distinction as to race, education, sexual orientation, etc. Even before the Convention was drafted Bulgaria adopted a Protection against Discrimination Act, which says precisely this: every person is entitled to protection against discrimination," the interviewee emphasized. "That is precisely where I see the problem in power-holders at the national level, as well as on a global scale - using that manipulation of the public for the sole purpose of achieving their political goals," she said.

"Violence exists everywhere as a major problem, but the States that have ratified the Istanbul Convention record far fewer cases of domestic violence and far more options for protecting victims, as well as a far better response from law enforcement," the EWL President pointed out. As another very serious problem, she singled out the poverty of women in Europe as a result of their holding lower paid jobs. "Women are less represented in business management, in policies and in each and every decision-making process, including at the local level," she commented. In her words, for decades now in Bulgaria the women's share in local government has been approximating 11% at best, and currently it stands at 26% in central government. "This is inadmissible in our time, when women are educated, produce benefits for society and, at the same time, raise their children and take care of their close ones," she argued. While the law grants women these rights, other structural problems deny them equal access with men to decision making. "The European Institute for Gender Equality found in a survey on gender stereotypes several years ago that 81% of Bulgarians believed that men are bound to earn money and women are bound to take care of the family," Balabanova said further.

She takes a positive view of the recently adopted amendments to the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act. "The increased time limit for submitting an application for protection, the setting of a unit to coordinate all organizations and institutions implementing domestic violence prevention and protection policies are good revisions. Another positive thing is that Bulgaria has finally ceased to be the only EU Member State without [domestic violence] statistics," she commented, adding that this will make it possible to assess the real dimensions of the problem. "It is a good thing that the notion of intimate relationship was added to the law, but its definition is not quite appropriate," the interviewee said. In her opinion, there is room for further improvement, but the amendments as adopted are "a very serious step to a very good legislation."

Balabanova recalled that the EU has ratified the Istanbul Convention and observed that "this faces Bulgaria with an interesting case." "Unfortunately, the EU does not envisage sanctions for Member State which do not implement the Convention but, at the same time, as part of the EU Bulgaria is supposed to implement it, and I'm curious to see what will happen from now on," she commented.

The EWL President expects any time now the adoption of a EU-level directive that will be binding on Bulgaria and will largely replicate the provisions of the Istanbul Convention. The directive will even build on the Convention by covering cyberviolence. "This is a very serious form of violence, as traumatizing as offline violence, especially among young people," she explained, adding that the directive will regulate revenge porn, sexist speech, etc.

Balabanova was a guest at a National Conference on Equality and New Challenges, held in Kazanlak on Sunday.

The EWL is the largest European umbrella network of women's associations representing a total of more than 2,000 organizations in all 26 EU Member States, four Candidate Countries, one former EU Member State and one European Free Trade Association country, as well as 17 European-wide organizations representing the diversity of women and girls in Europe. The EWL's mission is to represent an inclusive, fearless, loud, independent feminist voice and bring the voices of women and girls into the European political arena, and to act as a catalyst connecting different actors to bring transformational change at both national and European level.