Burgas is one of 8 towns holding public debates as part of a national campaign called "Sustainable Local Communities for Women's Health", the "H and D Perspectives" foundation says. The others are Plovdiv, Haskovo, Kazanlak, Smolyan, Gabrovo, Kubrat and the village of Chepintsi.
The Bulgarian Platform – European Women's Lobby leads the project, working with civic groups from different regions. The goal is to put women's health on the local agenda and base decisions on what women actually go through.
Haskovo holds its debate on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which also marks the start of the "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" campaign. The Haskovo debate will focus on the link between domestic violence and women's health.
Participants will talk about the problems facing women who have survived domestic violence, why many don't seek help, and how health, social and legal services work with police.
Domestic violence isn't only physical, the foundation points out. It also means control, bans, humiliation, isolation and being kept financially dependent. Living for a long time in fear and stress takes a serious toll on both mental and physical health.
The findings from the Haskovo debate will go to the regional body that coordinates support for domestic violence survivors, which brings together institutions and other groups involved. The first of its two annual meetings this year was held in June. At that meeting, a representative of the regional police directorate said 150 domestic violence reports in Haskovo province were confirmed as valid in 2025.
Results from all the debates will be pulled together into concrete proposals for local and regional authorities.