On the last day of\nJanuary, a panel discussion was held on “The family in a democratic\nsociety: Can the child’s rights conflict with his or her family’s rights?”\nDuring the event, an unprecedented conversation spontaneously began between\nrepresentatives of the human rights community and representatives of the\norganizers of the protests against the Strategy for the Child and the Law on\nSocial Services. In the crowded hall, there were also citizens interested in\nthis hot and important topic, as well as concerned parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The panel discussion\nwas organized by BOLD in the cozy hall of the House of Sofia and was the start\nof BOLD’s long-term campaign on the topic of child and family protection. The\ncampaign aims to help better understand basic laws and policies regarding the\nfamily and children and to form public attitudes and public policies aimed at\nrespecting the rights and dignity of children and other family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The event was opened\nby the panel moderator Dr. Krassimir Kanev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Helsinki\nCommittee, who welcomed all the guests, began with a few introductory words on\nthe comprehensive topic of the family, and mentioned the unexpected refusal of\nSofia University “Kliment Ohridski” to provide a platform for this\nawkward and controversial topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prof. Antony Todorov\nspoke on the topic “When the child grows up and when he has rights?”,\nStarting with the announcement of the published position of BOLD on the issue,\ndiscussed in detail the meaning of the term “rights of the child”,\nwhether the family has the child and whether it can exercise full power over\nchildren. It ended with a call not to succumb to the fears instilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second panelist,\nKalina Zafirova, an eco-social activist, spoke on the topic of domestic\nviolence against children, the types of violence and the necessary guarantees\nfor protection from these forms of abuse, as well as the neglect of children’s\nneeds and specific violence against children of different sexual orientation or\ngender identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr. Dimitrina Petrova\nspoke about the strong civic activity around the National Strategy for the\nChild and the Law on Social Services, the diversity in the ranks of protesters\nagainst them, and the global rise of cultural conservatism. It marks real cases\nof illegal removal of children from social services and how this affects\npeople’s emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Assoc. Prof.\nValentina Georgieva, a lecturer at Sofia University “Kliment\nOhridski”, presented statistics on the family, which show that the\ntraditional family values \u200b\u200band attitudes that are preached are not in line\nwith the reality of today’s family in Bulgaria. She reminded of the unaccepted\nproposals for de facto cohabitation in 2009 and made public the campaign for\nthe group submission of applications to Sofia Municipality for a registered\npartnership #FamilyFor All.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the role of a\ndiscussant, Prof. Ivaylo Dichev, a lecturer at Sofia University “Kliment\nOhridski”, commented on the messages of the panelists and asked\nchallenging questions to each of them. During the answers, interventions from\nthe audience started and an intensive discussion took place. Representatives of\norganizations against the Strategy for the Child and the Law on Social Services\ntold the public personal stories and gave examples of irregularities in the\nchild protection systems and social services, presenting their understandings\nof what the family is. They stressed the diversity of the protesters, as well\nas their unanimity on several issues raised by the panelists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dimitrina Petrova\nallowed herself to express her admiration for the fact that there is a truly\nauthentic meeting of different value communities that talk despite their\ndifferences. Many participants also emphasized that both children and families\nwould benefit from formulating reasonable common demands. Representatives of\nthe protesting activists commented on the role of the media, which often\ndramatizes and intensifies the division and makes unfounded insinuations about\nthe protesters and the civil sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A guest in the\naudience, a representative of an organization that provides social services,\nshared about the thousands of victims of violence who have passed through their\ncenters and gave the sad statistics about the dozens of children and women in\nthe morgues killed by fathers and partners. While acknowledging the many gaps\nin the social system, she pointed out the lack of political will and neglect of\nsocial work, marginalized communities, victims, people with addictions and\nmental health problems. He thanked the organizers of the event on behalf of the\ntherapists and social workers and called for constructive dialogues between all\nin good faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A representative of an\nLGBTI organization appeals that when this process of rapprochement between\ndissidents and the identification of common opportunities for struggle takes\nplace, we should be honest, put ourselves in the other person’s shoes, and not\nneglect their rights, including the right to family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked by a guest\nwhether BOLD believes that the civil society organizations protesting now are\nrelated to Putin’s re-election in 2012 and the renaissance of a totalitarian\nregime associated with Orthodoxy and Eurasianism, Dimitrina Petrova said that\nBOLD’s position clearly states that the range of protesters is extremely\ncomplex and wide and cannot be reduced to a single denominator, and that the\nvast majority of people are thereby conviction, believing in their cause,\ndriven by fears, some of which are unfounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In conclusion, a\ndesire was expressed to find a format for the continuation of the extraordinary\nconversation between different ideological communities, and BOLD, as a\ncommunity seeking a broader base of supporters and supporters of democratic\nvalues, could be one of the catalysts of this conversation. We hope that the\nparticipants left our forum with a slightly more transformed and improved view\nof what the people on the other side are, and that in itself is a step in a\npromising direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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