Social assistance and victim support campaign

Trafficking in women is a serious crime, which leads to serious consequences. The needs of the survivors exceed the basic human coping capacities. Most of them lack supportive family or friends. There are not adequate organisations helping women victims of violence in Bulgaria and the prevailing attitudes towards the victims are negative. Thus, it is impossible for a single organisation or institution to ensure the recovery of the survivors. With regard to the work on concrete cases of trafficking, we achieved partnerships with different NGOs and GOs like: "Gender Research" Foundation (providing free legal consultations and conducting legal representation); "Open Gate" Centre - Pleven; Centre "Maria"- Gorna Oriahovitsa; "Care" Foundation in Sofia and its branches in the country; Central Commission for Combating the Antisocial Behaviours of Juveniles and Minors; local social welfare offices in different districts of Sofia: Mladost, Podujane, Ovcha kypel, Lyulin; "Insurance Incomes" Directorate; school pedagogical consultants of the Ovcha kupel district of Sofia ; psychologists from governmental institutions from the Lyulin, Sofia; Social Welfare department of Sofia Municipality. With regard to concrete cases of survivors of trafficking, we have collaborated with: International Organisation for Migration - Sofia; International Organisation for Migration - Rome; The Bulgarian branch of the European Organisation of Policewomen; the Bulgarian embassies in Greece and Poland; NSCOC, the "Investigation" department of the National Police Directorate; police officers from different local police offices and passport services; Ministry of Foreign Affairs - "Consular Relations" and the departments for the Scandinavian, Arabic and Balkan countries; regional employment inspectors from the towns of Plovdiv and Dobrich; the social welfare departments, municipality departments of the towns of Varna, Dobrich, Plovdiv and Pleven; Homes for Children and Adolescents in Stara Zagora, Vraca and Belogradchik; the Center for sexual health of the project "Doctors Without Borders".

• 125 women survivors of trafficking have received psychological and social support at the Rehabilitation Centre for Women, Adolescents, and Children Survivors of Violence
  
• More than 850 of the calls at our Help-line are related to trafficking in women
  41% regarding prevention of trafficking in women
  32% from friends and relatives of women in a situation of trafficking
  18% from colleagues and other specialists who encounter survivors of trafficking
  9% from women in a situation of trafficking seeking help
  
• A network was established, consisting of 15 women's NGOs trained to work with women survivors of trafficking
  

THE FUTURE OF "LA STRADA" PROGRAMME (2001-2004)
In the next three years four countries will join the project - Macedonia, Belarus, Moldavia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Thus, the programme will continue to be implemented in NINE countries. One of the main activities of "La Strada" - Bulgaria will be to share its experience in working against trafficking in women, and in support of the survivors, to the team of "La Strada" - Macedonia. "La Strada" - Bulgaria will continue their Press and Lobby campaign, the Prevention campaign, and Victim Support, while transferring this multidisciplinary model to Macedonia. The two countries share historical and cultural ties, and some of the main channels for trafficking in people pass through Bulgaria and Macedonia to Greece and Albania. This situation was aggravated after the crisis in Kosovo. For this reason, a strong partnership is required between the two countries in the work against trafficking. The "La Strada" international programme provides excellent opportunities to put the partnership into practice.