25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On this occasion, the protest march "Not one more!" will be held in Plovdiv, organized by the collective "Feminist mobilizations", community center "Pogled" - Plovdiv and the informal initiative “Luta Hala”, BNR reported.
All participants are volunteers and citizens of the city, who organize the protests every year to prevent the rights of women and other vulnerable groups of people. The protest will begin at 6:00 p.m. in front of the Central Post Office and will end around 8:00 p.m. on Roman Stadium Square.
There will be speeches by the organizers, a fire show by volunteers and an installation of women's shoes, symbolizing the murdered women so far, about whom we only know from the media. Similar protests will be held in other cities in Bulgaria at the same time - Sofia, Varna, Stara Zagora, Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo.
November 25 was declared the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women by Resolution 54/134 of the UN General Assembly in 1999. Individual activists and organizations commemorated the day as early as the 1980s. It is related to the murder of the three Mirabal sisters by dictator Trujillo in the Dominican Republic on 11/25/1960.
In Bulgaria, the statistics on violence and murders of women and other vulnerable people remain appalling, the organizers of the protest claim. They complement the collected facts: Since the beginning of the year, 18 women have been killed by men in cases of gender and domestic violence – these are only the registered cases in the media. Every week we read about other women being beaten and cut with sharp objects, often in front of their children.
Domestic violence and femicide continue to be insufficiently addressed by the state. The appalling news we hear every week and the lack of effective institutional measures call for urgent action.
The organizers of the march insist on:
1. Protection for every victim of domestic violence – regardless of their race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality or economic status!
2. End of institutional violence against transwomen and LGBTI+ people in Bulgaria!
3. Crisis and counseling centers for people affected by violence in every area of the country!
4. Official statistics on gender-based violence, including information on the relationship between perpetrators and victims!
5. Introduction of mandatory sex education in schools as a prevention against violence and informing about people's rights!
6. Definitions of femicide, gender-based violence and hate crimes in the Criminal Code!
7. Recognition of psychological and economic violence as crimes in NK!
8. Constant publicity and preventive policies against violence - preventing crimes through social and educational policies every day!