Bulgaria and the Istanbul Convention – Law, Politics and Propaganda vs. the Rights of Victims of Gender-based Violence

The following article deals with the debate among institutions, victim support NGOs and various religiously affiliated entities protecting “family values”, as regards the ratification by Bulgaria of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women (Istanbul Convention). The debate was deeply influenced by an active campaign against the document, which was ultimately declared by the country’s Constitutional Court unconstitutional. The article then examines the long-lasting consequences of the campaign, having led to the rejection of several other key victim protection documents and to the overall undermining of the protection of victims of gender-based violence in Bulgaria.