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From 13 to 15 February 2010 Center Amalipe organized a kick-off seminar of the partners and a seminar for establishing a Steering committee within the project “Preventing early marriages”, funded by the European Committee under the DAPHNE  III 2007-2013 programme (Contract № JLS/2008/DAP3/AG/1298-30-CE-03124780080).

Center Amalipe met in the old capital representatives of the partner organizations of the project. Liga Pro Europa, one of the oldest non-governmental organizations in Romania was represented by Ms Smaranda Enache (former ambassador of Romania in Finland and candidate for MP at the parliamentary elections in 2004, Judit Kacso and Katalin Szikszai. The partners from Greece ARSIS- Association for social support of youth, the most active Greek NGO working on youth was represented by Mrs Anastasia Arapidou.

The first day passed in discussing organizational issues, discussing the methodology of the activities planned, a detailed timetable and plan of action for specific project activities. The second part of the workshop aimed at establishing a Steering committee including representatives of Bulgarian and international institutions, Roma activists, NGOs, etc. It included a representative of the National Agency for the Protection of the Rights of Family and Child - Romania Liliana Tirliu; the Federation of Greek Roma foundations of northern Greece, Panagiotis Sabani, the State Agency for Child Protection - Kalin Kamenov, Ministry of education, science and youth - Liliana Stefanova, Ministry of labor and social policy -Anny Evgenieva, Georgi Krastev, Deputy-Chair of NSSEDV, Pavlina Nikolova, prosecutor of the SCPO, Stanimira Hadjimitova from “Gender project- Bulgaria”, Peter Borisov, SHAM Foundation, Montana, etc. The Steering committee discussed the research which should be carried out in Bulgaria, Romania and Greece and how the representatives of the different institutions could be involves and could contribute to preventing early marriages. In addition, the participants discussed models of educational materials, videos and brochures, and ways for their distribution.

All representatives of the key institutions agreed with the fact that prevention is the most successful and appropriate approach for addressing the problem of early marriages. They stressed that there was a need to rethink the approach of governmental institutions of victimization and increasing the penalties and this should be rather replaced with prevention activities. In this respect  all the  institutions declared full support. All participants agreed that effect could be achieved when the work in the community is directed not to denying and stigmatizing the traditions, but showing the positive models and future perspectives.