In February, The Advocates will participate in a roundtable in Sofia, Bulgaria with the Alliance for Protection Against Gender-Based Violence. The Advocates and members of The Alliance will share approaches and practices with respect to coordinated responses and batterer intervention programs within both Bulgaria and Minnesota. Coordinated responses have been internationally recognized as effective ways to protect victims of domestic violence and hold perpetrators accountable.
The Advocates will also conduct follow-up fact-finding interviews on the implementation of Bulgaria’s domestic violence laws. In 2008, The Advocates, together with the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, published its report, Implementation of the Bulgarian Law on Protection against Domestic Violence. The Advocates is again working with BGRF to prepare a follow-up report on the implementation of Bulgaria’s laws and the report’s recommendations.