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On 9, 10 and 11 April Center Amalipe conducted a training of interviewers to carry out a survey among Roma community on the issue of early marriages. The training was conducted by Alexei Pamporov sociologist, member of the Institute for Sociology at BAS who had developed the questionnaire for the survey.

The study is part of Preventing forced marriages project funded by the European Commission, under the Daphne Programme III 2007-2013, Contract № JLS/2008/DAP3/AG/1298-30-CE-03124780080. It will be conducted nationwide covering all Roma sub-groups with special emphasis on Burgudjii and Kaldarashi communities in which the early marriages occur most frequently.  Interviewers were explained the objectives, methods and methodology of the survey and sample survey among the Roma population in Gorna Oryahovitsa - inhabited mainly by Rudari, Kaldarashi and Burgudjii communities. It is expected that the results of the survey will be processed by mid-May.

The study of the problem includes also a desk review of the legal framework and the conducted research and analysis, theoretical developments and implemented activities related to the phenomenon of early / forced marriages. The studies so far point that early marriages are a problem determined by a number of social, demographic and cultural reasons that affect health, education, personal development and implementation, security and welfare of the individual. Cultural and social reasons, leading to early marriages can not be overcome by only by the means of state coercion. Early, arranged and forced marriages are characteristic of all societies with patriarchal morality and clear generic structure of the "extended families", including the Bulgarian ethnic group in the early 20th century.

In addition, interviews were conducted with representatives of various government institutions related to the problem at a high management level and the terrain level. The aim is to examine the specific functions and activities which the institution conducts. An important aspect of the ongoing study is to discover opportunities for cooperation between different state institutions in the activities of prevention of early / forced marriages, and between them and representatives of community and civil society.

The results of the survey at the field workers level, carried out with the support of Ms. Lilia Mireva of the State Agency for Child Protection shows major gaps in coordination between institutions, lack of knowledge of the legal framework and lack of purposeful policy to the problem. Similar problems are reported from interviews at a high level as the main preventive activities, according to the interviewed representatives so far should be assigned to schools.