The Advocates for Human Rights, in partnership with The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation and funded by Open Society Institute, UNIFEM, and the Oak Foundation, presented a Workshop on Monitoring Implementation of Domestic Violence Laws on October 4-7, 2010, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Participants included advocates and activists from Central and Southeastern Europe with a strong interest in improving their government’s response to domestic violence. The keynote address was given by Aileen Marques, Legal Officer for the Lawyer’s Collective, Women’s Rights Initiative of India.

The Advocates’ staff presented on monitoring techniques and skills specific to the implementation of domestic violence laws, including research and document review, interviewing, case file review, court observation, data collection, report writing, and developing recommendations. Guest speakers from Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and the United States gave presentations on different aspects of quantitative monitoring. The Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation led a discussion on the strategic use of monitoring reports to advocate for changes in law, social attitudes, and budgetary allocations.

Each participant created an advocacy plan for monitoring domestic violence laws in their country that addressed their priority objectives, noted potential allies, and outlined their next steps. Presenters and participants continue to share ideas and monitoring techniques through a workshop website.

The partners plan to host a second Monitoring Strategies Workshop for countries of the former Soviet Union in the spring of 2011.