News

The first activities from pilot campaigns for the prevention of early marriages, implemented by local Roma leaders, have started in the second week of June. The campaigns are part of the project “Prevention of early marriages” of Center Amalipe, supported by DG Justice of the European Commission within Daphne 2009 program.

The activists from the town Peshtera Yuksel Yasharov and Eshtref Roustem already held three meetings with their fellow citizens. At the first meeting were invited children from school “Ljuben Karavelov” and their parents, also teachers, the school headmaster, mediators and journalists. All of them approved the initiative for the campaign. Opinions on topics that were affected were very good, but many people mentioned another problem that is directly related with the early marriages, in particular – the drug addiction, existing in Peshtera. Parents of girls want to marry their children early with their relatives, because they think, that this way they will prevent them from drug addicted husbands. The second meeting was attended by pupils from the same school. Information on health, traditions and law regulations was appropriately presented. During the meeting were discussed the main problems in early marriages, the risk of health problems for children who were born from underage mothers, was referred  the number of abandoned children born to underage mothers and the focus was on education as a priority. Good examples of students from the Roma community and their development in education were pointed out. Children shared the problems that exist in their families. Several girls mentioned that their parents stop them from school, because they are afraid of being kidnapped. The third meeting was held at school “Michail Kumanov" again in the presence of parents, teachers, pupils and mediators from the community. They marked as a big problem the migration for work, because of which children often leave with their grandparents. Often after finishing elementary school children also go to other countries with their parents, or get married. Children said that they would like to continue their education, but their parents don’t give permission about it. Participants in the meeting were pleased, because they had the chance to share their problems and to receive attention.

In the town of Perushtitsa Roma activists held the first meeting in the campaign. 34 women from the local community were introduced ideas and following activities of the project “Prevention of early marriages” and of the local campaign in Perushtitsa. 16 women took part in the training for mentorship. The journalist Anelia Percheva was interested in the project and took an interview that was published in the newspaper “New voice”.

The team that makes the local campaign in the town of Vratsa – Albena Kisjova, Galina Kolcheva and Maya Metodieva prepared a plan for following activities, and also made conversations with successful Roma women and with professionals in different areas, connected with the problem of early marriages. At the local center for work with children they organized a meeting with young Roma and Roma activists, and introduced them in the idea of the project. The project was also presented to representatives of local institutions. The youth group “Detelina” will participate in the activities.

In the Roma neighborhood “Nadejda” in the town of Sliven a volunteer team from young people is already formed. They will help the successful realization of campaign activities. The leader of one of the local churches was also attracted to participate in the cause, because his opinion has strong influence on people’s attitudes. 

In the town of

Rakitovo the stuff of the local campaign – Ani Krivonozova, Maria Rajkova, Maria Krivonozova, Valentina Makova and Angel Kochev accomplished meeting with focus groups, composed by young people and by women, who get married early. During those meetings the reasons and consequences of early marriages were discussed. On a special meeting with girls, graduating from elementary school “Hristo Botev”, and also with their parents and teachers, were discussed the alternatives for further education and professional realization.

In the town of

Vidin the leader of the local campaign Radoslav Kouzmanov introduced young people from the community in the ideas of the campaign and with its planned activities. All the participants in that meeting declared their will to participate as volunteers in the initiative. The next event will be in the Roma neighborhood “Nov pat” in Vidin. A podiatrist and a representative of the state service for child protection will participate. They will discuss health and legal aspects of the problem with the auditory.

In the

village of Kardam the local campaign is led by Maria Ivanova: student in Public administration from the local Kaldarashi community. The first meeting with the community was very successful – 17 people between 13 and 65 years old came to it. Not only the young people, but also their parents (all of them – Kal;darashi Roma) shared the position that children should study and find realization in the Bulgarian society, but not to look for work abroad.

The team, leaded by Georgi Markov, that realizes campaigns in the area of the town of Rakovski, made an organizational meeting to determinate aims and strategies. First meeting with people from the villages of Belozem, Momino selo, Chalakovi and Stryama were made and they are with people whose opinion is very important for shaping of public attitudes – spirit leaders, municipality councilor, teachers, local Roma leaders.

 The campaign in villages in the District of Jambol started with meeting in three of them – Veselinovo, Zavoy and H. Dimovo. Everywhere there was a great interest about the initiative and people mostly shared the opinion that the education and professional realization should happen before the marriage.

At large, everywhere the start of the local campaigns can be determinate as successful. Young people are always bearers of new ideas and they have the key for positive changes in the life style of every community. Surprising are the positive attitudes of elder participants in the meetings and their willingness to receive new information and to discus their positions on questions, concerning family, education, professional realization, health – all of them related to the overcoming of existing practice of early marriages. We can see now the internal factors that still stop the members of those communities to make bravely the step for change in stereotypes – they are: influence of the traditions, pressure from public opinion, lack of alternatives, parents’ fear that their daughters could be kidnapped, if they don’t get married, lack of financial resources for education, difficulties in the professional realization of young Roma, even well educated.  People also used meetings, organized in relation with the local campaigns, to share harmful problems of the community, on which resolving the authorities still don’t pay enough attention.