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A turning point occurred during the voting in the plenary hall of the two draft laws on protection against domestic violence - by Nadezhda Yordanova ("Democratic Bulgaria") and by Kornelia Ninova ("BSP for Bulgaria").

Initially, the deputies accepted both bills, but when they were re-voted, they were rejected.

The debates on them lasted more than two hours. 

With the DB project, the circle of protected persons was expanded, the measures for protection against domestic violence were increased and the marks, procedures and program for the prevention of domestic violence were more clearly regulated.

The creation of a national database of cases of domestic violence was envisaged, as well as a single national authority to coordinate, plan and monitor the implementation of the various policies.

Measures were also proposed to improve and speed up legal proceedings in cases of granting protection.

Additional measures were introduced, such as a ban on the perpetrator from making contact with the victim, a ban on possession of ammunition and weapons, violence prevention programs and specialized services for the protection, assistance and support of victims.

It was envisaged that the order for immediate protection would not be subject to appeal and would have immediate effect, creating the possibility of limiting or continuing its effect by the court in the absence or presence of immediate danger, BTA reported.

Ninova on the Istanbul Convention: We want our children to be a boy or a girl, not something third

The draft law obliged the police authorities to monitor the implementation of the protection order, and in case of non-compliance, the offender would be detained. 

The changes introduced by Cornelia Ninova provided that the National Program for the Prevention and Protection of Domestic Violence, which is adopted by the government, must necessarily contain as a measure the construction, maintenance and management of at least one crisis center for victims of domestic violence in every area of ​​the country .

The bill proposed a two-month period in which the Council of Ministers should take actions to update the program and provide the necessary funds for the construction and operation of the crisis centers.

The importers state that there are currently 13 crisis centers in the country.

Tsveta Rangelova ("Vazrazhdane") commented that only the first two pages of the bill of "Democratic Bulgaria" define the concept of "domestic violence", from then on the whole law is aimed at creating a national council, which, on the one hand, would be under the of the Council of Ministers, but in the next moment, according to her, the intended effect - that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can provide social services - is sneaking in with small letters.

Her colleague Tsoncho Ganev asked Nadezhda Yordanova how they imagine from the DB that a 3- or 4-year-old child just goes to the social service and files a report of violence against him.

This is another loophole for someone unscrupulous to release an anonymous report of violence against children, the MP believes.

For a series of inadmissible expressions from the parliamentary rostrum, Nikola Minchev, presiding over the meeting, imposed a "remark" on Ganev, for which he in turn asked for arguments, and Minchev reminded him - "foodie", "Pasquil", "grant workers".

Elements of the Istanbul Convention are being tried to be pushed through this law, is the concern of "BSP for Bulgaria" in relation to the DB bill.

In addition, there was an illegal transfer of protection rights against domestic violence to a body that included many NGOs.

Kornelia Ninova commented that the topics of the Istanbul Convention and the law on domestic violence were intertwined.

She announced that she has been under "cruel pressure" for at least five years to accept "this thing" in the Bulgarian parliament.

For five years I have resisted, for five years I have suffered all the blows you can think of, I have survived five coups in the BSP because of this and there is no sixth time I will press the button and support a decision that will destroy the most precious thing we have left as a society - the family, she declared.

Ninova recalled that in the bill of the left it is proposed to open more crisis centers.

Praise us for why you criticize us, she asked.

But in our draft law there are no minor children to sue their parents, there is no violence through inaction, Ninova commented.

In a reply, Kalina Konstantinova ("We continue the Change") specified that there is no gender, no Istanbul Convention, this is a bill that addresses the fact that every third woman in Bulgaria is a victim of violence.

These are one million women who will hang on your conscience, on the conscience of this hall, if we do not accept this bill, Konstantinova pointed out.

These are the measures we need to take to stop letting a woman be killed by her husband every two weeks, she said. 

Lyuben Dilov (GERB-SDS) commented that the wording "violence through inaction" is quite problematic.

On reflection, I am a stark victim of abuse through the inaction of my family, who were extremely liberal and let me do whatever I wanted all my life, he said.

I suffer from this fact, not to mention that, like 90 percent of Bulgarians, I was raised by same-sex couples - by my mother and grandmother, added Lyuben Dilov.

However, he thinks that there are extremely meaningful texts in this law and it is a step forward, but a very large part of the texts simply fails it.

Nobody noticed that these two bills have one very common quality between them - they look like political marketing, commented Desislava Atanasova from GERB-SDS.

She explained that both were imported on the same date, which is the World Day of Victims of Domestic Violence.

After the rejection of the two bills, Hristo Ivanov declared on behalf of "Democratic Bulgaria" that efforts will continue for our country to have a functional conservative law against protection from domestic violence. A law that understands people's concerns about excessive interference in their family relations by the state or other public organizations, a law that understands that there are different points of view and hears all concerns, he pointed out. This will be one of our causes in the next National Assembly, Ivanov said.  

domestic violence

voting on a law