NEWS

Within the framework of Mario 3 Project the Greek delegation, led by Mr. George Moschos, Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights and the representatives of ARSIS Organisation had a meetings with the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection (SACP) – Ms Ofelia Kaneva, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria – Ms. Maya Manolova and the Secretary of the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (NCCTHB) – Ms. Kamelia Dimitrova. Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria initiated and organized the visits of the Greek delegation as part of the implementation of Mario Project in Bulgaria. The meetings were also attended by representatives of the Greek partner within Mario Project – Nikos Gavalas, Legal Representative of ARSIS and Valbona Histuna, Project Coordinator at ARSIS – Association for the Social Support of Youth, Thessaloniki.

 The Greek Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights, Mr. George Moschos and representatives of ARSIS – Greece, took part in a meetings in Sofia on December 16, 2016 and discussed with Ms. Maya Manolova, Ombudsman of Bulgaria, Ms. Ofelia Kaneva, Chairperson of SACP and Ms. Kamelia Dimitrova, Secretary of NCCTHB the possibility to reach a bilateral agreement between the Greek and Bulgarian authorities addressing the problems of Bulgarian children in street situation in Greece, the unaccompanied minors, migrant and refugee children.

 Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria, in its capacity of a national partner within the international Mario Project, organized three meetings on December 16, 2016 between the Greek delegation and relevant representatives and experts from Bulgarian authorities, working in the child rights field. The visit was initiated by ECPAT as part of the national advocacy plan of the organization and in relation to the transnational activities within the project. In the end of the third phase of the 7-year-long Mario Project, the national partners from different countries had the responsibility to organise bilateral meetings for effective cooperation between countries of origin and countries of destination, as well as to take action toward better management of cases of children on the move and children victims of violence, trafficking and exploitation in Europe. Regarding the improvement of protection measures for Bulgarian children on the move in Greece, ECPAT Bulgaria organized three meetings for the delegation from Greece, led by the Greek Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights, Mr. George Moschos. In Sofia, the meetings were kindly hosted by the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, Ms. Ofelia Kaneva, and the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ms. Maya Manolova and the Secretary of the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ms. Kamelia Dimitrova. The meetings were attended by experts from the three institutions, as well as representatives of ECPAT Bulgaria. In addition to the exchange of information regarding the challenging areas and comments on the possibility for bilateral agreements, the three meetings in Bulgaria had the following goals: to present and discuss the international recommendations from the transnational research on Bulgarian children in street situation in Greece, carried out within Mario Project; to present the ideas about a European system for child protection and case management discussed in the Policy Paper, developed by Mario 3 Project partners; to present the “Advocacy Book. Recommendations for the protection of Bulgarian children on the move in the country and in Europe”, elaborated by ECAPT Bulgaria and published within Mario 3 Project.

According to the expectations raised in Mario Project, the bilateral expert meetings, supported by the results from the transnational research and the discussions about a potential bilateral cooperation, should provide the responsible state structures and organisations in the countries of origin and destination with an additional opportunity to discuss and overcome current challenges and risks children on the move are exposed to. In this sense, the bilateral expert meetings can be regarded as a platform for cooperation and joint activities to improve the protection of the identified children. It is also expected that the meetings will lead to:

• better coordination between state institutions on a bilateral level,
• enhanced awareness of state institutions regarding the situation of children on the move and the challenges they face,
• establishment of mechanisms for operational cooperation on individual cases.

During the meetings with the Greek delegation in Sofia the following topics were raised and discussed:

• clarifying the situation with the Bulgarian children on the streets in Greece – victims of exploitation, including by their families. ECPAT Bulgaria presented the Recommendations from the transnational research of Bulgarian children in street situation, which were addressed to the Bulgarian institutions and organisations;
• protection of Bulgarian children at risk in Greece and problems related to the interaction between Greek and Bulgarian institutions;
• possibilities to create European system for protection of children at risk, victims of trafficking and exploitation in EU Member States. ECPAT Bulgaria presented the Policy Document, which was elaborated within Mario 3 Project. The document lists measures to improve the protection of children in Europe and carry out better coordination between child protection systems;
• possible agreement for cooperation between the State Agency for Child Protection and the Ombudsman of Greece regarding issues, which fall within the competence of both parties, as well as a cooperation agreement between the Ombudsman of Bulgaria and Greece;
• presentation of the work of the State Agency for Child Protection in the area of child rights and transnational cases of children victims of trafficking and exploitation in EU Member States, difficulties in the international communication and communication with Greece; perspectives for joint work;
• presentation of the work of the Ombudsman of Greece in the area of child rights; initiatives to monitor and ensure protection for children at risk.

 The following topics were raised for discussion by the experts from the State Agency for Child Protection:

• problems with the illegal adoption of Bulgarian children in Greece;
• the situation of Bulgarian children residing in Greece without identity documents;
• protection of Bulgarian children abandoned by their parents;
• protection of Bulgarian children taken from their parents by the Greek authorities and accommodated at different institutions and services in Greece;
• problems regarding the protection of child refugees.

 The following topics were raised for discussion by the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings:

• comment on the existing cases of sale of babies, Bulgarian women giving birth to children in Greece and leaving them for adoption;
• information by the Greek partners about their relevant structures for prevention and combating trafficking in human beings, including trafficking in children in Europe.

 The meetings between the Greek Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights and the representatives of ARSIS with the Chairperson and experts of the State Agency for Child Protection, the Ombudsman’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings were carried out in an exceptionally constructive manner with professional discussion on the topics concerning children at risk.

During all three meetings, the Greek Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights, Mr. George Moschos, presented the work of the Greek Ombudsman related to child rights, focusing on three groups of problems related to children on the move in Greece and bringing them to the attention of the Bulgarian institutions:

1. The first group of problems was related to Bulgarian children on the move in Greece. The question at hand is how the two parties will handle cases of children who move from Bulgaria to Greece and work on the streets. According to data of the Deputy Ombudsman, there are approximately 200 such cases. In his opinion, the government and police in Greece attempt to solve the problem but are not satisfied with the results so far. Mr. Moschos stated that he wanted to know what specifically happens to these children in Greece, as well as when they return to Bulgaria, as they are holders of rights.

2. The second group of problems was related to unaccompanied children arriving from third countries (including children moving from Greece to Bulgaria and from Turkey to Bulgaria). According to Mr. Moschos, there is a problem with the standards and with the provision of effective protection, health care, school attendance, participation in social life, taking children’s opinion in consideration. Data shows that there are about 3000 unaccompanied minors in Greece, whereas the specialized shelters have a capacity of 1200 places.

3. The third group of problems was related to children born in Greece by a Bulgarian mother who move to Greece to give birth and arrange for a private adoption of the newborns. According to Mr. Moschos, the Greek legislation allows this but this practice must be regulated and in this respect, he expressed interest in the establishment of bilateral cooperation. He underlined that an agreement must be signed to have these cases registered by the Bulgarian authorities. That would help stop this practice where children are regarded as a source of financial transactions and business deals. At the moment, there are approximately 500 such cases known involving children born in Greece and privately adopted, which makes them lose their status of abandoned children.

During the meeting with the Greek delegation at the State Agency for Child Protection, Ms. Ofelia Kaneva and the Greek Deputy Ombudsman in charge of children’s rights, Mr. George Moschos, negotiated to draft an agreement and a joint declaration between the two parties.

 The Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, Ms. Ofelia Kaneva, expressed readiness to cooperate in elaborating a bilateral agreement between Bulgaria and Greece on cases of children on the street. She underlined that a draft will be developed by March 2017 and sent to the Greek party, and she suggested that the teams which would work on the agreement from both countries should take part in joint meetings. The Greek Deputy Ombudsman took up the responsibility to support the process in Greece in setting up the team and invited representatives of the State Agency for Child Protection to visit and participate in a working meeting to develop the agreement. Ms. Kaneva took up the responsibility to finalise the discussion of specific duties on institutional level by March 2017, which will guarantee the rights of children and bilateral procedures in the future agreement between Bulgaria and Greece.

In the beginning of the meeting the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection underlined that she hopes “for a broader and more active cooperation with the Greek side as the two countries face similar challenges”. Ms. Ofelia Kaneva also presented to the Greek delegation the priorities of the State Agency for Child Protection for 2017.

Ms. Kaneva also suggested to develop a joint declaration to reflect the experience of the two parties regarding the care for migrant children and to declare that these children are rights’ holders. The declaration should be related to the forthcoming agreement between Bulgaria and Greece. The Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection underlined that Bulgaria has good coordination between the institutions when providing support to unaccompanied children, using the possibilities offered by social services of residential type. Appropriate health and educational care is also provided but there is still more to be accomplished in this field.

During the meeting with the Ombudsman Ms. Maya Manolova she discussed with her Greek colleague Mr. George Moschos the problems with child rights protection in the two countries. The two of them agreed to cooperate in protecting the rights of child refugees, migrant children and unaccompanied children.

Ms. Maya Manolova explained that she had been in the position of Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria for one year and presented the institution’s work, pointing out that the National Ombudsman of Bulgaria has direct duties to protect the citizens and the rights of children. She noted that “there has been an Ombudsman in Bulgaria for 10 years now but this is not recognized by children” and that during her predecessors’ terms the topic of child rights has been slightly aside from the work of the Ombudsman. In her opinion there were 5 000 complaints in 2015 and 11 000 in the current 2016, but only 2 or 3 complaints submitted by children. The Ombudsman underlined: “We have too many responsibilities but protecting the rights of children is my main priority. In order to be most effective in protecting the rights of children, we established a specialized unit, which is run by Ms. Eva Zhecheva, whom we invited to our team from the State Agency for Child Protection, where she used to serve as a Chairperson.” Ms. Manolova explained that together with the Deputy Ombudsman, Ms. Diana Kovacheva, former Minister of Justice, they work to improve the legislation related to juvenile justice and protection of the interests of children in all areas.

Mr. George Moschos informed that the Greek Ombudsman for the rights of the child reviews annually 800 complains submitted by children, visits between 20 and 30 schools and holds numerous meetings with children. He underlined that during the past 2015 he was elected Ombudsman for the rights of the child for the fourth time. Mr. Moschos explained that the Greek Ombudsman’s Office has 7 Deputy Ombudsmen and the unit responsible for child rights employs 10 experts, whereas the entire service has 170 employees. Annually there are between 11 000 and 15 000 complaints.

The Greek Deputy Ombudsman underlined that there is a need for a bilateral agreement with the Bulgarian Ombudsman. He informed about Mrs.Manolova abo0ut the responsibility taken up by the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection to create a working group for creating a bilateral draft agreement and expressed his wish for Ms. Manolova to cooperate on that matter.

Mr. Moschos informed that he was a member of the European Ombudsman Association and as such he had appealed for elaboration and provision of standards regarding child rights, the necessity of guardianship to be introduced and the need of exchanging information between different countries.

Ms. Manolova summarized the report prepared by the Institution of the Ombudsman regarding the unaccompanied child refugees submitted to the attention of the Parliament two months before, which had recommendations to all responsible institutions. They concerned mainly the creation of safe space for unaccompanied children seeking protection. During the meeting, Ms. Manolova informed the Greek guests about the joint work with Norway within the project “Capacity building of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria for independent monitoring and promotion of child rights”. Another topic for discussion during the meeting with the Greek Deputy Ombudsman was the forthcoming establishment of a Balkan network of Ombudsman in South-eastern Europe which Ms. Manolova had already discussed with the Ombudsmen of Macedonia and Serbia. Mr. Moschos informed that the question has recently been discussed in Skopje and he has suggested a joint Ombudsman meeting in May-June 2017 focusing on “all Ombudsman together for child rights”.

Ms. Eva Zhecheva shared that great results have been achieved regarding children victims of trafficking and exploitation in Bulgaria in contrast to the situation with child refugees. In her opinion, challenges first appear at the moment of identification of children at the border and later – with the coordination between the institutions. In Ms. Zhecheva’s opinion, resolving the problem requires coordination on a European level; strong national network to protect children in every European state and a systems of contact points in every EU Member State, when there are cases of children in a transnational situation. She also noted that in the future the Ombudsman would carry out independent monitoring of the implementation of the Coordination Mechanism for children victims of trafficking and child refuges, as well as all cases of children on the move.

Mr. Moschos expressed his wish that the Bulgarian Ombudsman would play the role of a strong communicator in the future joint activities between Bulgaria and Greece regarding the rights of children on the move.

During the meeting with the Secretary and the experts from the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings the group discussed the problems of Bulgarian children and adolescent – victims of trafficking and exploitation in Greece, the specific problems of begging children and Roma children and adolescents on the streets of Greece, as well as the the situation with Bulgarian women giving birth in Greece and the respective practice of private adoptions.

 The Report of the most important activities against trafficking in human beings, prepared by Maria Ververidou, senior expert at the Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Greece was presented during the meeting. The document outlines the legal and institutional framework of the fight against trafficking in human beings in Greece, the main areas of engagement; the development of the legal framework and the mechanism for identification of victims of trafficking; the interinstitutional cooperation against trafficking in human beings; the cooperation with the private sector; public awareness campaigns and training on the rights of children in schools; the creation of a parliamentary sub-committee on the issues of trafficking in human beings.

The Greek representatives and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings agreed to cooperate in the area of protection of the rights of victims of trafficking, refugees, migrants, victims of labour and sexual exploitation, as well as to exchange information and establish a partnership between the Greek Office for monitoring and combating trafficking in human beings and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

At all three meetings between the Greek delegation and the State Agency for Child Protection, the Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria and the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings ECPAT Bulgaria presented its “Advocacy Book. Recommendations for the protection of Bulgarian children on the move in the country and in Europe”. The document outlines the problems regarding the protection of children on the move in Europe and was elaborated by Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgarian within Mario 3 Project with the financial support of the OAK Foundation. The Advocacy Book presents an analysis from a survey on the problems of the Crisis Centres for children victims of trafficking and violence in Bulgaria and the recommendations to improve the care for children accommodated at these Centres; recommendations from transnational research within Mario Project on Bulgarian children in street situation in Greece; recommendations included in a Policy Document by the Mario Project partners to improve protection of children in Europe and create a European system for management of transnational cases of children on the move.

The three meetings of the Greek representatives with the Bulgarian institutions took place within the framework of the transnational activities of the Mario 3 Project – Joint action to protect children on the move from violence, trafficking and exploitation in Europe, financed by the OAK Foundation, coordinated by Terre des Hommes, Hungary and implemented by the national partner in Bulgaria Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria.

16 December, 2016, Sofia

11-12 February, 2016

Around 25 representatives from the organizations involved in the Mario project gathered in Budapest 11-12 February 2016 at the Mario Annual Network Meeting to determine their annual work plan which will include advocacy activities at both national and regional level to improve the protection of children on the move. In addition to this meeting, an Institutional Learning Exercise (ILE) was organized on the second day in order to offer project partners the opportunity to build a common understanding of the reasons underpinning their participation in the Mario initiative and to draw the lessons to improve the future design and implementation of activities of Mario.

The Mario project has entered in its second phase in 2013 and its activities have extended to 16 countries and 19 partners. Entering the third year of its second phase in January of this year, the overall objective of the project is to have. stakeholders be able to address the vulnerability of children on the move at local and regional levels and strengthen cooperation of authorities across borders.

During the third year of Mario the project partners will continue to ensure that authorities at both national and transnational level can rely upon improved laws, regulations, procedures and guidance to identify and address the vulnerability of children on the move in a multi-disciplinary way, and accompany professionals in implementing them by clarifying both the clear conceptual frameworks and tools that these can rely upon in managing cases of children on the move at national and transnational levels.

In the meeting took part representatives of NGOs and MOs from the following countries: Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  Albania, Hungary, Belgium, Check, Montenegro, Greece, Kosovo, Slovakia, Netherlands, Macedonia, Serbia, Poland and Bulgaria. Organizer of the meeting was the  project coordinating organization – Terre des Hommes, Regional Office – Hungary and moderator of the Institutional Learning Exercise was Mr. Terrence Jantzi from Colombia. Representative of ECPAT Bulgaria – national partner within project “Mario” took part in the Mario Annual Network Meeting.

Source: http://www.terredeshommes.hu/news/annual-network-meeting-in-budapest-/7276

29 January, 2016

State Agency for Child Protectionin Bulgaria has 15 Years jubilee which was celebrated by National Conference “The Child – National priority” held in the Central Military Club in Sofia.

Deputy Prime Minister  Ivailo Kalfin, Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova and Ombudsman Maya Manolova opened the jubilee conference of SACP.The Chairperson of SACP Eva Zhecheva outlined the main achievements of the State Agency for Child Protection and the challenges faced by it in her report “15 Years – Children in the Focus of Change”. The conference was addressed also by Maria Jesus Conde – UNICEF representative for Bulgaria, who presented the mission of the UN child organization in Bulgaria, Mr.Vanio Sharkov – Deputy Minister of Health who spoke about the Vision of the ministry for guaranteeing access of Bulgarian children to quality healthcare, Mrs. Verginia Micheva – Deputy Minister of Justice  described the system of child rights justice and the challenges it faces.

Mrs. Velina Todorova, PhD from the Bulgarian Academy of Science and representative of Bulgaria in the Committee of Experts to the Council of Europe spoke about the Rights of children in Bulgaria after the adoption of the Child Protection Act.
A report, The development of the child protection system according to civil organisations working with children and families, was delivered by Georgi Bogdanov – Executive Director of the National Network for Children .
Mrs.Valentina Simeonova – Project manager to New Bulgarian University analysed the process of changes in the care given to children in institutions in her presentation under the name: Deinstitutionalisation – a process of constant study and reflection of experience”.
New challenges and the crisis of modern family – was the topic of the report of Vessela Banova – therapy director of Child and Space Association.
Ms. Yoana Zaharieva – Vice Chairperson of the council of Children focused on the role of the voice of children in the child protection system.

On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the State Agency for Child Protection, Mrs.Eva Zhecheva bestowed honorary diplomas and plaques for considerable contribution to the development of the child protection system and the protection of children’s rights.

January 26, 2016
On January 26 Mrs. Myria Vassiliadou – EU Anti-trafficking Coordinator had a meeting in Hilton Hotel with representatives of Bulgarian NGOs and agencies of international organisations working on the problems of trafficking in human beings and trafficking in children. This meeting was held after the National conference for combating trafficking in human beings and the protection of victims, which was also attended by Mrs. Myria Vassiliadou.

The meeting with Mrs.Vassiliadou with the NGO sector was attended by representatives of the following organisations: Animus Association Foundation, Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, ICMPD, Risk Monitor, World without Bounderies, IOM, Nadia Center, Campaign A21, Foundation „SOS – Families in Risk”, Women’s Alliance for Development, Foundaton„Partners – Bulgaria“, Alliance “Children and Youth”,Crisis Center for children – victims of trafficking and violence “Faith, Love and Hope” – Sofia, Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria, Foundation “Demetra”, Center for the Study of Democracy.

The main topic at the meeting was the exchange of ideas and expectations concerning trafficking in human beings in Bulgaria. During the discussion with NGOs Mrs. Myria Vassiliadou presented current information at EU level about the development of the anti-trafficking and expressed her interest in the points of view of the NGOs about the situation in Bulgaria concerning the protection of victims of trafficking and the counteraction taken against traffickers; what are the main problems and trends and what are the main priorities in the new strategy of Bulgaria against human trafficking.
All representatives of NGOs shared their experience attained in projects and activities in the sphere of prevention and counteraction of human trafficking and trafficking in children, and also presented their findings concerning the existing problems and recommendations for actions at national and international levels.

Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria, Foundation “Demetra” and Center for the Study of Democracy took part in the meeting with Mrs.Vassiliadou as members of the EU Civil Society Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

The EU Civil Society Platform Against Trafficking in Human Beings was created in 2013 and today more than 100 European organisations join their efforts in the Platform which serves as a forum for the organisations working at European, national, international and local level in the field of human rights, child rights, rights of women and gender equality, migrants’ rights and the right of asylum. Participants shared their experience and specific ideas about how their networks could expand, how victims could be helped in the best way and how the existence of new victims of trafficking could be avoided. The European Commission supports the Platform by organizing regular meetings twice a year with the purpose of collecting important information and opinions about the main challenges faced by civil society organisations in their work. Two years in a row discussions are held in three workgroups during every session of the Platform: Workgroup 1: Children at high risk of trafficking; Workgroup 2: Emerging concern about forced marriages, forced involvement in criminal activities, family servitude, trafficking in human organs; Workgroup 3: Prevention of trafficking in human beings. The results and recommendations of the workgroups are submitted to the members of the Platform for further dissemination in their countries. A number of researches, studies and manuals for action against human trafficking are also shared. It is required from the European members of the Platform to offer their support as representatives of the civil society and exert influence on the institutions and the state policy for increasing the measures for combating human trafficking. The Bulgarian representatives in the Platform have actively participated so far in the work of Workgroups 1 and 3 with critical opinions and recommendations.

The recommendation of Mrs.Vssiliadou to the Bulgarian NGOs was to work on the problems of human trafficking with the partners within their network, exchange their expertise and be partners of the three NGOs – members of the EU Platform. Platform NGO members can inform other NGOs about all initiatives and documents based on the EU policy against human trafficking. The representatives of the Bulgarian NGOs – members of the Platform on their part expressed the opinion that  partnership already exists among NGOs in Bulgaria and assured Mrs Vassiliadou that Platform members will continue to be the active link to the Bulgarian institutions and NGOs with relation to European policies for combating trafficking in human beings and trafficking in children.

26 January, 2016

On 26 January The National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (NCCTHB)  organized in Hilton Hotel its Annual Anti-trafficking Meeting under the name:“Towards a National Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Bulgaria“. The conference was focused on elaboration and realization of the Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Bulgaria to be developed by the National Commission in 2016 in accordance with the EC Anti-trafficking Strategy.  Mrs.Vassiliadou presented the European strategy and practices in the fight against the human trafficking and mentioned that the Strategy needs to include policy toward vulnerable groups and the group of children – victims of trafficking or at risk to be involved in trafficking. Ms. Gabriel stressed on the fact that in 2016 human trafficking will be a key topic at the European Parliament in relation to the global evaluation of the EU Strategy and the development of the future Anti-trafficking Strategy. She also paid attention to the prevention of recruitment of victims of human trafficking through Internet.

Official guests to the conference were: Her Excellency Emma Hopkins, British Ambassador to Bulgaria, His Excellency Tom van Oorshot, Netherlands Embassy, H.E.Denice Knobel, Swiss Confederation Embassy and H.E.  Guru Katharina Vicor, Norway Embassy.

Her Excellency Emma Hopkins spoke about the British Experience in Developing the Government Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and H.E. Denice Knobel spoke about the Swiss experience against human trafficking and the achievements of the Swiss-Bulgarian Program for Counteraction of Human Trafficking, including identification, referral and reintegration of the victims.

The meeting was addressed by Ms. Kamelia Dimitrova, Secretary General of the NCCTHB,  who outlined the directions in the development of the future national strategy toward human trafficking, and its key fields of intervention and priorities.

The meeting was attended by members of the NCCTHB, municipality mayors, chairpersons and secretaries of the Local Commissions for THB from the cities of Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Sofia, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Montana, Pazardzik, Plovdiv, Ruse and Sliven; representatives of the Expert Work Group to the NCCTHB, experts from leading NGOs and MOs working in the field of counteraction of the THB and protections of the victims in Bulgaria.

In the second part of the meeting: “Leading Principles and Partners in the Development and the Implementation of the Natioanal Strategy for Counteracting Trafficking in Human Beings” key speeches were delivered by:  Ms. Rositsa Yaneva, Secretary of the LCCTHB – city of Bourgas – “Local Policies in the Fight Against Human Trafficking. Strategic and Operational Activities”;  Ms. Svetlana Koeva, Head of the “Prevetion” Department in the The Municipality of Varna and Deputy Chairperson of the LCCTHB – city of Varna – “Role of the Local Commissions for Combating Traffic in Human Beings During Planning and Implementation of the National Anti-trafficking Strategy”;  Ms. Genoveva Tisheva, Co-chairwoman of “Alliance for Protection from Gender-Based Violence” (APGBV) and CEO of the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF) – “Role of the Nongovernmental Sector and of the International Organisations in the Planning and the Implementation of a Strategy for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings on a National Level” and Ms. Nadya Kozhuharova, Coordinator of the Anti-trafficking Programme in Animus Association Foundation (AAF)/La Strada Bulgaria.

During the discussion participants made comments on the leading principles in the process of  development of the National Anti-trafficking Strategy for Bulgaria and its practical issues ; on the tasks of the Local Commissions for CTHB and the role of the NGOs and MOs in implementing the National Strategy. The experts also stressed on the key areas which must be included in the National Strategy, following  Directive2011/36/ЕС: victim protection, reintegration, legal aid to victims, specialized health services and special attention to the vulnerable groups like women and children – victims of THB.

PRESS RELEASE
Sofia, 4th December 2015

A groundbreaking cooperation between Novotel / ibis Sofia and ECPAT Bulgaria for increasing public awareness and fight against sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism

As the socially responsible leaders of the hospitality business, Novotel and ibis Sofia, part of the Orbis Hotel Group have signed a groundbreaking document for the hospitality industry in Bulgaria, namely the  Code of Conduct aimed at protecting children against sexual abuse in travel industry.

Every year, as many as 1.8 million children are victims of commercial sexual exploitation worldwide. Some are exploited by tourists or travellers, some are trafficked into sexual slavery and millions of images of child sexual abuse circulate daily on the internet.

Every year only a small number of the abusers get arrested and an even lower number are convicted.

ECPAT International (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) is an international non-government organization with a network of 85 entities in more than 77 countries dedicated to protecting children and to end all forms of the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Since the early 1990s, ECPAT International have worked with the tourism and travel industry around the world to raise awareness and to take practical measures against children being sexually abused. Partnerships have been established with the industry stakeholders including the implementation of Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism. The Code is an industry-driven, multi-stakeholder initiative with the mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry in order to combat the sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. Industry players that adopt and sign the Code of Conduct commit to inform customers and staff on their child protection policies, report potential cases and apply other measures to protect children.

In Bulgaria, ЕСРАТ is represented by Neglected Children Society – ЕСРАТ Bulgaria. In the frame of an EU project namely “Don’t look away!”, financed by the European Union in cooperation with 16 ECPAT organizations in Europe, with the support of Interpol and Europol, a European online platform: www.reportchildsextourism.eu has been launched. The platform enables online signaling for noticed suspicious cases of sexual exploitation of children from travelers and tourists in their own country and abroad.

ЕСРАТ Bulgaria, www.ecpat-bg.com, the Bulgarian representative of ЕСРАТ International, is organizing a national campaign for increasing public awareness for the risks of sexual exploitation of children in travel and tourism. A major part of this campaign are Novotel and ibis Sofia, members of the well known international hotel brands of AccorHotels – the world’s leading hotel operator, partner of ЕСРАТ International and the World Tourism Organization (WTO) for many years in their fight against sexual child abuse. The protection of children constitutes one of the CSR commitments of the leading hotel operator, providing best practices in terms of prevention for the hotel sector. Together with its partners the Group wants to educate, inform and raise awareness on how to fight against this inacceptable issue and how to protect children. “It was Novotel and ibis Sofia who initiated the signing of the Code of Conduct in Bulgaria, which is a milestone in raising awareness amongst the public and the hospitality industry on the problem of combating sexual exploitation of children” – added Lydia Zagorova, Chairwoman of Neglected Children Society.

AccorHotels contributes by education of its employees for detecting and reporting cases of sexual exploitation of children in tourism and hospitality and informing hotel guests for the policy of AccorHotels for fighting this practice. AccorHotels via its broad network of brands worldwide – ibis, Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel and others, has officially stated its will to support the cause by signing the Code of Conduct for protection of children from sexual exploitation in tourism. Orbis Hotel Group, strategic partner and the sole master licensor of all AccorHotels brands in Eastern Europe with its largest network of 107 hotels in the region aims to be the CSR trendsetter in hospitality. The Group has a strong and long-standing commitment towards social responsibility where child protection is identified among priorities and is an integral part in its Ethics and CSR Charter. “For nearly 3 years, we have been leading a prevention programme in this regard, which requires not just interdisciplinary cooperation between hotels, Police, and the NGO, but most importantly, regular trainings, education, and an information policy. Only such comprehensive activities will allow for the conscientious implementation of provisions of The Code of Conduct.” – commented Irek Weglowski, Vice President of Orbis Hotel Group.

As part of the Don’ look away ! campaign, ЕСРАТ Bulgaria created a dedicated national online form for reporting suspicious cases of possible child abuse for sexual purposes: http://www.ecpat-bg.com/?page_id=4025. The form has direct connection with the European online platform, and is linked with the police in Bulgaria. The form can be used all over Europe by sending a report to each of the European countries participating in the online platform: www.reportchildsextourism.eu

Novotel and ibis Sofia are the first hotels in Bulgaria to officially state their support for the fight against sexual child exploitation, specifically in the frame of the project DON’T LOOK AWAY! and are good examples for the other members of the tourism and hotel industry.

About ECPAT Bulgaria:
ECPAT Bulgaria – Neglected Children Society (NCS) is a non-profit NGO and ECPAT International national branch for Bulgaria. ECPAT International is a global network of organisations working together for the elimination of child prostitution, child pornography and trafficking of children for sexual purposes. It seeks to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights free and secure from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.

The objectives of ECPAT Bulgaria are: prevention and protection of children at risk of abuse, neglect and trafficking for the purposes of labour and sexual exploitation; contributing to the safe psychological recovery and social integration of children – victims of sexual exploitation; methodological guidance, training and supervision of professionals who work in the field of child protection and delivering social services given to children at risk; surveys, situational analyses; public awareness campaigns, advocacy. The organisation includes experts on child protection issues who work on voluntary basis and volunteers – young people, former victims of sexual exploitation.

Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria is a member of ECPAT International and EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Beings.
Neglected Children Society has more than 15 years of experience, working on the problems of prevention and counteracting different forms of child sexual exploitation.

As ECPAT Bulgaria – national affiliate of ECPAT International, NCS has implemented numerous projects both at national and international level. Over the years the organization has carried out capacity building trainings, awareness campaigns advocacy events, direct psychological support to children – victims of trafficking and exploitation and has supported the adoption of a multidisciplinary approach to fighting child trafficking, sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of children.

As part of the European “Don’t look away!” campaign, ЕСРАТ Bulgaria organized a national public awareness campaign about prevention of child sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. In that process ECPAT Bulgaria established close cooperation and partnership with Novotel and ibis Sofia, becaming a major part of this campaign as members of the well known international brands of AccorHotels.

About Novotel:
Novotel is the midscale hotel brand of AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator, present in 92 countries with 3,800 hotels and 180,000 employees. Novotel’s consistently high standard of service contributes to the wellbeing of both business and leisure travelers: think spacious, modular-design guestrooms, balanced cuisine available 24/7, excellent meeting facilities, attentive staff, dedicated children’s areas and rejuvenating wellness facilities. With PLANET 21, AccorHotels’ sustainable development program, Novotel commits itself to the planet! To meet today’s challenging environmental and social issues, the brand has chosen to rely on a world renowned environmental certification, ISO 14001. Novotel offers more than 400 hotels and resorts in 59 countries, situated in the center of major international cities from business districts to tourist destinations. More information at: www.novotel.com

About ibis:
As one of the economy brands of AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator active in 92 countries with 3,800 hotels, ibis has more than 1,000 hotels and 131,000 rooms in 61 countries. The brand innovates constantly to illustrate its values of modernity, comfort and availability. For example, it has created the revolutionary bedding concept Sweet BedTM by ibis; new common areas; the Ibis Kitchen modern food and beverage offer. It also cultivates a spirit of service that drives each of its employees. Ibis is the first hotel brand to have obtained ISO 9001 certification – all of the network is practically certified – for its professionalism and reliability. In addition, 72% of the ibis network is ISO 14001-certified, concrete proof of the brand’s environmental commitment. Created in 1974, today ibis is European leader in economy hotels and in 4th place in its category worldwide. For more information about the ibis hotels, please visit: www.ibis.com

About Orbis:
The Orbis Hotel Group is the largest network of hotels in Poland and in Eastern Europe. Orbis comprises more than 100 hotels and is the sole licensor of all AccorHotels brands in 16 countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. It offers a total of almost 19,000 rooms. The hotels operate under the brand names Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget. These brands, recognized throughout the world, provide a quality of service to various standards, ranging from luxury 5-star to budget 1-star hotels.

Orbis’ strategic investor is AccorHotels, the world’s leading hotel operator.

About Accor:
AccorHotels is a Group united by a shared passion for hospitality and driven by a shared promise to make everyone Feel Welcome.
Over 180,000 women and men in 3,800 AccorHotels establishments look after thousands of guests every day in 92 countries.

AccorHotels is the world’s leading hotel operator and offers its customers, partners and employees:
– its dual expertise as a hotel operator and franchisor (HotelServices) and a hotel owner and investor (HotelInvest);
– a large portfolio of internationally renowned brands covering the full spectrum, with luxury (Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, The Sebel), midscale (Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Mama Shelter, Adagio) economy (ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget, adagio access and hotelF1) establishments;
– a powerful marketplace and loyalty program Le Club AccorHotels;
– almost half a century of commitment to corporate citizenship and solidarity with the PLANET 21 program.
Accor SA shares are listed on the Euronext Paris exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and traded in the USA on the OTC marketplace (Code: ACRFY).

Follow Accor оn: www.twitter.com/accorhotelsgroup; www.accorhotels-group.com;
www.accorhotels.com

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM

The Code (short for “The Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism”) is an industry-driven responsible tourism initiative with a mission to provide awareness, tools and support to the tourism industry in order to prevent the sexual exploitation of children. An estimated 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 years of age experience sexual exploitation or other forms of sexual violence according to the UN Global Study on Violence against Children. Every year, millions of children are bought and sold for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

HISTORY
After the first World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in 1996, ECPAT Sweden developed The Code in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and several Swedish tour operators.
The Code was then spread worldwide through partnerships with the ECPAT network, UNWTO, and UNICEF. Since 2004, The Code has operated as an independent non-profit organisation.
Today, it is a global multi-stakeholder organisation based in Thailand, with high-level leadership coming from both the tourism industry and civil society. Expansion and impact in many countries is driven by partnerships with passionate local non-governmental organisations, which we call Local Code Representatives.

FORMS OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN
The commercial sexual exploitation of children involves the buying and selling of children under 18 years of age for sexual purposes. Child sex tourism, child sex trafficking, the prostitution of children, and child pornography are all forms of this crime.
Child sex tourism often takes place in hotels and uses other travel infrastructure. That’s why we believe that working with responsible tourism companies is a powerful way to keep children safe and prevent these crimes.
HELPING TOURISM COMPANIES TO HELP CHILDREN
The Code was created as a practical tool for the tourism industry to utilize as part of their responsible tourism or CSR policies. By implementing the six criteria of The Code, members are making a clear statement to their staff and clients that they do not accept the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

HOW DOES THE CODE KEEP CHILDREN SAFE?
The Code aims to address the crime of child sex tourism by creating a highly aware and well-trained tourism industry that can recognize and prevent potential abuse and also by building zero tolerance environments where travellers understand that these crimes are unacceptable and offenders will be prosecuted.

WHY DO COMPANIES JOIN THE CODE?
Tourism companies join The Code for many moral reasons. The companies join because helping children makes human sense. And also because joining The Code makes business sense. When a tourism company joins The Code they commit to taking six essential steps to help protect children, which are the six criteria of The Code.

6 STEPS TO PROTECTING CHILDREN ARE:

1. TO ESTABLISH A POLICY AND PROCEDURES
against sexual exploitation of children

2. TO TRAIN EMPLOYEES
In children’s rights, the prevention of sexual exploitation and how to report suspected cases

3. TO INCLUDE A CLAUSE IN CONTRACTS
throughout the value chain stating a common repudiation and zero tolerance policy of sexual exploitation of children

4. TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO TRAVELERS
on children’s rights, the prevention of sexual exploitation of children and how to report suspected cases

5. TO SUPPORT, COLLABORATE & ENGAGE STAKEHOLDERS
in the prevention of sexual exploitation of children

6. TO REPORT ANNUALLY
on the implementation of The Code

CHILD PROTECTION AS CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

As the representatives of future generations, children are valuable members of our society. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that child protection becomes a priority. Child protection is an important pillar of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and responsible tourism. For the tourism industry, child sex tourism impedes on sustainable and responsible tourism while generating negative impact to society: businesses, communities and families. If left to flourish, it can generate a community “dependency” on the wrong type of tourism – the type that generates profits at the expense of children’s lives and the community’s future. The consequences will have a direct impact on the local community, its ability to sustain tourism operations and protect the destination.
Nowadays, responsible travelers are seeking destinations and companies that share their ethical values. These travelers utilize their “consumer power” to choose child-safe service providers. By joining The Code, tourism companies ensure that their organizations are working to ensure that children are protected from sexual exploitation.

Sofia, 4th December 2015

SIGNING THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN BULGARIA

As the socially responsible leaders of the hospitality business, Novotel Sofia and ibis Sofia Airport, part of the Orbis Hotel Group and ECPAT Bulgaria have signed the Code of Conduct for Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism.

The event was hosted by Novotel Sofia and moderated by Mr. Maxim Behar – CEO of M3 Communications Group, Inc. and eminent journalist and former diplomat.

In her opening speech Mrs. Lydia Zagorova – Chairperson of Neglected Children Society – ECPAT Bulgaria focused on the importance of the Code of Conduct and presented the International Platform for reporting suspicious cases of child sex-tourism, the video-spot “Stop sexual exploitation of a child – Don’t look away!, the Serious game created by ECPAT for the purposes of training tourist industry staff and the campaign information materials.

Mr. Ireneusz Weglovski – Vice President of Orbis Hotel Group, Poland and Mr. Vincent Dujarden – General Manager of Novotel Sofia presented their policy of conducting constant staff trainings and expressed the commitment of their hotels to work for prevention of child sexual exploitation in tourism and travel. The audience was addressed also by Mrs.Eva Zhecheva – Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, Mr. Yavor Kolev – Head of “Transnational Organised Crime and Human Trafficking” Department of the Chief Directorate “Combating Organised Crime” and Mrs. Nina Naidenova – Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports.    

Foreign guests to the event were Mr. Zoltan Kiraly – Director Brand Operations, Communications & PR Eastern Europe, AccorHotels, Hungary and Mr. Nicolas Duynslaeger – ibis Hotels Group.

The event was attended by several TV channels, journalists from more than 10 newspapers and news agencies, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Tourism, State Agency for Child Protection, Heads of Regional Police Departments and representatives of General Directorate of National Police, General Directorate “Border Police”, National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and many other representatives of state institutions, NGOs and tourist branch organisations. All participants received sets of Don’t look away! materials (posters, stickers and leaflets) and information materials about the history and goals of the Code of Conduct.

Mr. Ireneusz Weglovski – Vice President of Orbis Hotel Group, Mr. Vincent Dujarden – General Manager of Novotel Sofia, Mrs. Tania Markova – Manager of Ibis Sofia Airport and  Mrs. Lydia Zagorova – Chairperson of ECPAT Bulgaria, symbolically signed on roll-ups the two separate Code of Conduct agreements – one for Novotel Sofia and one for Ibis Sofia Airport before signing the official copies of the agreement.

Novotel Sofia, Ibis Sofia Airport and ECPAT Bulgaria also signed memorandums of cooperation for the protection of children against sexual exploitation in travel and tourism.

On the picture: from left to right – Ireneusz Weglovski – Vice President of Orbis Hotel Group, Vincent Dujarden – General Manager of Novotel Sofia, Tania Markova – Manager of Ibis Sofia Airport and  Lydia Zagorova – Chairperson of ECPAT Bulgaria