Bulgaria: Follow-up to BGR31062.E of 12 February 1999 on the resources available to female Roma who are victims of sexual assault (January 1998 - February 1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | BGR31494.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Bulgaria: Follow-up to BGR31062.E of 12 February 1999 on the resources available to female Roma who are victims of sexual assault (January 1998 - February 1999), 1 March 1999, BGR31494.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aaec2b.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A 27 February 1999 letter sent to the Research Directorate by the executive director of the Human Rights Project (HRP) in Sofia states:
On the issue of sexual assault of Roma women the HRP do not have any particular data. However, this problem, I think should be considered in the context of generally limited access of Roma in Bulgaria to legal remedy in cases of human rights abuse against them. Our organization, as you might know, provides legal aid to Roma who claim ethnically-motivated abuse, such as police violence and assaults from citizens or nationalist groups. In this process we have established a highly prejudiced attitude on part of the law-enforcement bodies. The most common problems faced by Roma who are seeking redress for violation of their basic rights are: refusal from the prosecutors to institute criminal proceedings; procrastination of the proceedings to the effect of debilitating the efforts of the claimant to obtain remedy; neglect for the racist motivation of the crime by the legal authorities, etc.
In a 16 March 1999 telephone interview, the executive director of the HRP in Sofia stated that the information contained in this 27 February 1999 letter represents the organization's viewpoint. The executive director also provided the following information about the HRP: The HRP is a nongovernmental organization established in 1992 to monitor and report on violations of human rights of Roma in Bulgaria, and to provide legal aid to the Roma community. The HRP is funded by private foundations and occasionally by the Council of Europe. The majority of staff members of the HRP are Roma.
For additional information on the resources available to female Roma (and non-Roma) of Bulgaria who are victims of sexual assault, please consult BGR31495.E of 16 March 1999.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Human Rights Project (HRP), Sofia. 16 March 1999. Telephone interview with the executive director.
_____. 27 February 1999. Letter sent to the Research Directorate by the executive director.
