Aim

The main objective of the project Rainbow Shield, funded by the European Union’s Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme is to improve the legal protection of LGBTI people in Bulgaria by improving the qualifications of lawyers to lead cases of LGBTI people, as well as improving their practices and methodologies in this area. The project also seeks to introduce a holistic approach to effectively address discrimination and other violations of LGBTI people’s rights by  providing legal advice, assistance inlitigation, psychological support and training in media appearances. The project will raise awareness among the LGBTI community about the possibilities of legal protection in cases of discrimination and other violations of their rights and, as a result, will promote the reporting of cases of discrimination. The project will also contribute to the dissemination of best practices by various European civic organizations to enhance the legal protection of LGBTI people.

Activities:

1. Improvement of the qualification of legal practitioners on the specifics of working with LGBTI people through trainings; creating opportunities for exchanging experience and conducting a study visit to Romania with a focus on gaining Romanian experience in building a comprehensive legal program. As a result of this experience,  will be launched the first holistic legal program to work with the LGBTI community in Bulgaria.
2. Working with and empowering the LGBTI community through trainings for community leaders across the country and launching an awareness raising campaign on what LGBTI discrimination is, how to recognize it and where to report cases of such discrimination, incl. organizing a series of community cultural events, including music nights, movie screenings, presentations, book discussions, and more.
3. Specialized support for the trans community through the preparation of a leaflet providing useful information on the legal aspects of gender reassignment procedures and conducting a number of meetings with representatives of this group.

 

Duration of the project

24 months (1.08.2019 – 31.07.2021)

 

Partners

Youth LGBT Organization Deystvie– Bulgaria
Bilitis Foundation – Bulgaria
GLAS Foundation – Bulgaria
Accept – Romania
NELFA Association – Belgium