Turning Women’s Rights Into Practical Knowledge in Bulgaria
Author: Dimitar Keranov, Transatlantic Foundation
Implemented by Bulgarian Platform—European Women’s Lobby from January to December 2025, the Skills and Capacity to Assert the Right to Equality project focused on strengthening the protection of women’s rights in Bulgaria in two areas where legal safeguards often remain difficult to understand or to use in practice: prevention and response to gender-based and domestic violence, and rights during pregnancy and maternity.
The project combined research, legal analysis, training, advocacy, and public-awareness work. It collected institutional information, reviewed relevant legislation, and carried out an online survey of women’s awareness and experiences related to rights during pregnancy and maternity. Women could participate by following a link to the online questionnaire in a public invitation published on the organization’s website with the results presented in a publication. The findings showed a serious information gap: many women were not aware of their rights during pregnancy and maternity, and many also reported abuse or discriminatory treatment by employers during this period.
Based on this evidence, Bulgarian Platform—European Women’s Lobby developed specialized training for civil society representatives and activists on protection of the rights of victims of violence and protection of women during pregnancy and maternity. The two-day training in Kazanlak brought together 32 participants from different regions of Bulgaria, including some working in smaller and more remote communities where access to legal and social services can be limited. The training strengthened their understanding of legal standards, practical procedures, and advocacy approaches related to gender-based violence and maternity rights.
The project also turned expert knowledge into public-facing resources. These included publications on women’s rights during pregnancy and maternity, gender equality and gender-based violence, and the “Women’s rights during pregnancy and maternity: Check your knowledge” carousel. The organization also used public events, including the Democratic Mosaic 2025 workshop and the final conference on Equality and Women’s Rights: Challenges, Advocacy and Strategic Action, to make legal information more accessible beyond expert circles.
A key result of the project was the preparation of the first comprehensive analysis by Bulgarian Platform—European Women’s Lobby of legislation concerning women’s rights during pregnancy and maternity. This work also informed the opinion submitted to the chair of the parliament’s Committee on Labor and Social Policy on the draft amendment to the Labor Code. The analysis helped bring the topic into policy discussions.
The project also had concrete local follow-up. Participants from the Smolyan region launched a local advocacy initiative to establish a coordinated multi-stakeholder mechanism in the Zlatograd area to prevent and respond more effectively to gender-based violence, including domestic violence. This follow-up action reflected one of the project’s central goals: creating local multipliers who can use new knowledge to support women, inform communities, and advocate before institutions.
In parallel, Bulgarian Platform—European Women’s Lobby strengthened its cooperation with civil society partners, experts, institutions, and policymakers. Together with the Mom Got A Job Foundation, it prepared an opinion on a draft amendment to the Labor Code concerning the reconciliation of professional and family life when returning to work after pregnancy and childbirth or while raising a young child. The project also created connections with organizations working on human rights, EU legislation, and women’s rights, supporting continued advocacy beyond the grant period.
Together, these results show a project that moved from evidence to action. By identifying gaps between law and practice, building the capacity of local actors, and translating legal information into accessible public messages, it helped make women’s rights during pregnancy, maternity, and in cases of gender-based violence more visible, understandable, and actionable in Bulgaria.
The project Skills and Capacity to Assert the Right to Equality, supported by the Engaging Central Europe program of the Transatlantic Foundation, was implemented under the PROTEUS program and co-funded by the European Union.
The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Transatlantic Foundation (TF) or the European Union (EU). Neither the EU nor TF can be held responsible for them.
