Training for probation officers

Training for probation officers was carried out in the end of the week in Velingrad resort. The training is on project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence” which is funded by PHARE Networking Programme at the European Commission. Project partners are Penal Reform International and Crime Prevention Fund - IGA. Participation in the forum took officers of Municipal Probation Service - Plovdiv. They were acquainted with the main aspects of the probation in Bulgaria, the foreign experience, the legislation, the personal specifications of the drug addicted offender etc. The work of Fund - IGA with persons sentenced on probation was also presented.

Closing meeting in Sofia gathered ngo’s from four european countries

Closing meeting of the IWG on project “Improving Equal Treatment and Human Dignity of Members of Vulnerable Groups Sentenced for a Penal Offence” was carried out on 15th of December in the conference hall of “Shipka” hotel, Sofia. The participants in the meeting, representatives from NGO’s and institutions, were from Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Hungary. The project is been implemented by Penal Reform International - Romania in partnership with Crime prevention fund – IGA and financed by Phare Networking Programme at the European Commission.
On the meeting were presented the development of the project until the moment, the achieved results and the versions for future cooperation in that area.
To contribute to the development of an integrated community response ensuring equal treatment and human dignity for people from marginalized groups sentenced for a penal offence - Roma people, institutionalized children and young people at risk of becoming addicted to drugs.

Seminar in Romania on PRI and Fund - IGA project

In the end of September in the Romanian resort “Predel” was carried out the last training for trainers on project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence” which is been implemented by Penal Reform International and Crime Prevention Fund - IGA. Participation in the training took 10 representatives of the nongovernmental sector and institutions from Pazardjik, Plovdiv, Pleven, Sandanski, Stara Zagora and Sofia. Romania was presented by the same number of participants - social workers, psychologists and NGO representatives. The participants were trained in 2 main modules: “Improving equal treatment and recognizing the human rights of the members of vulnerable groups. Types of discrimination” and “Acquiring of skills through role plays, team work, presentations, implementation of effective trainings. Lecturers on the seminar were Barbora Bukovska and Irji Kopal from the Czech Republic.
After series of work meetings of the International working group and the trainings for representatives of NGO and institutions from the two Balkan countries, the project will be finalized by the end of the year in Bulgaria. One of the main aims of the project was to contribute to the development of integrated community environment, ensuring equal treatment and recognition of the human dignity of people from vulnerable social groups sentenced for a penal offence.

NGO representatives, institutions from Bulgaria and Romania on a discussion in Bucharest

On 15 September in Bucharest a work meeting of the International working group on project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence”, implemented from Penal Reform International and Crime Prevention Fund - IGA was carried out. Participation in the event took NGO representatives from Bulgaria and Romania, the prison administration from Pazardjik, Sofia and Pleven as well as the partners from Czech Republic.
The proposals and the recommendations for the campaign taken on the meeting in Bulgaria during June were discussed - the aims, who can be involved as partner and the possible financial sources. The campaign will have three target groups - institutionalized children, youth in risk of drug addiction and Roma people.
The work meeting was organized from the leading organization - Penal Reform International. The last meeting on the international working group will be carried out in Bulgaria in the end of the year. One of the main aims of the project is to contribute for the development of integrated community environment, ensuring equal treatment and respecting the human dignity regarding persons of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence.

International working group gathered representatives from institutions and nongovernmental organizations from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Czech Republic

Crime Prevention Fund - IGA carried out a work meeting of the International working group within the frames of project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence”. In the work group were included representatives from institutions and nongovernmental organizations from Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, and also experts from Czech Republic. The meeting was carried out on 18th of June 2007 in the hall of the Regional agency for economic development and business incubator (RAED BI) - Pazardjik. On the meeting was discussed the development of the project until this moment - results from the surveys, concerning the discrimination of the ex-offenders from the prisons of Bulgaria and Romania. Decisions regarding the training of trainers, foreseen to be carried out in the period September - December 2007 were also taken. The aims of the forthcoming awareness raising campaign were clarified. The project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence” is been implemented from Crime Prevention Fund - IGA in partnership with Penal Reform International - Romania and with the financial support of PHARE Networking programme at the European Commission and Program “East-East - Partnership beyond the boundaries” at the “Open Society Institute”. The main aim of the project is to contribute for the development of integrative community area, ensuring equal treatment and human dignity of representatives of vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence – Roma, institutionalized children and young people, who are in risk from drug addiction.

 Third international work meeting in Bucharest

Work meeting on project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members vulnerable groups sentenced for a penal offence” was carried out on 13th January in Bucharest. 12 representatives from Bulgaria took participation – 5 participants from the nongovernmental sector and 7 representatives of institutions – court and penalty execution system. For the meeting in Bucharest arrived representatives of organizations and institutions from Check Republic, Netherlands, and Hungary. The meeting started with a speech of the chairmen of the Romanian Agency for drug prevention Professor Dr. Pavel Abraham, followed by presentations on the surveys concerning the discrimination level in the penalty systems in Bulgaria and Romania, discussing of anti-discrimination campaigns, pilot projects in network. This is the third international meeting on the project. The expert group will get together again on work meeting in Bulgaria during the spring, and soon after that will start the training of trainers. The project is implemented by Penal Reform International and Crime Prevention Fund – IGA, with the support oh Program PHARE Networking of the European Commission.

Work meeting in Bucharest of Bulgarian and Romanian organizations and institutions

 Work group of representatives of the nongovernmental sector in Bulgaria leave for Bucharest today. In the discussions will participate representatives of Fund – IGA, Foundation “Perspective” – Sandanski, Prison Fellowship Bulgaria, International Initiatives for Cooperation – Razlog, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and the Association of Judges in Bulgaria. On 12th January at the work group will be joined by a group of representatives of institutions in Bulgaria – General Directorate “Execution of penalties” at the Ministry of Justice, Sofia Central Prison, District court – Pazardjik, Regional court – Plovdiv and a representative of the media.
The visit and the work meetings are in the frames of project “Improving equal treatment and human dignity of members of vulnerable groups sentenced for penal offence”. Project partners are Penal Reform International and Crime Prevention Fund – IGA.
In the agenda the Romanian hosts included presentation of the development of the main project, and also the development and implementation of the 4 additional small projects within the main one. After the carried out during June 2006 in Koprivshtitsa last training for representatives of 20 NGO from Bulgaria and Romania, the organizations unified in consortiums and developed their projects. Four of them were funded in the frames of the big project. The hosts expect group discussion on their development as well as a presentation and discussion about the plans for the public campaign.
The project started during the spring of the last year. Its realization aimed to contribute to the development of integrate environment, ensuring equal treatment and respect for the human dignity of people from vulnerable social groups, sentenced for a penal offence and to improve the capacity of chosen Romanian and Bulgarian nongovernmental organizations in this sphere. The funding of the project comes from PHARE Networking Program of the European Commission.  

Specialists from Fund – IGA on training in Bucharest

Training for Bulgarian and Romanian NGO`s – second module was carried out in December in Bucharest. It was organized from CBN Consortium on the contract with the European Union for technical assistance on civil organization. The first module was carried out during the month of July in Silistra. The training in Bucharest continued five days and sixty people, bulgarian and romanian representatives of NGO`s, took part in it. Except lecturers from Bulgaria and Romania there were also trainers from USA and Portugal. Representatives from IGA - Andrey Momchilov and Orlin Tsekov, which have successfully passed the first module, graduated this training and received certificates. They have improved their qualification in the field of project management, PR and communications. The training is part of project in the frames of program Phare Networking of the European Commission.

Four projects shell be financed from PRI and Fund – IGA

Penal Reform International и Фонд за превенция на престъпността – ИГА shell finance four NGO projects from Bulgaria and Romania. The support is given in the frames of project “Improving Equal Treatment and Human Dignity of Members of Vulnerable Groups Sentenced for a Penal Offence” with the assistance of the Phare Networking programme of the European Commission. The implementation of the project is carried out both in Bulgaria and Romania from month march this year. Partners of the projects are Penal Reform International and Fund – IGA. Them both organizations are cooperating with Prison Fellowship, Romania, Association for probation and mediation in justice, Czech Republic and Hungarian Helsinki committee.
After the implementation of the final training in the month of June in Koprivshtitsa for 20 NGO`s from Bulgaria and Romania, the organizations, united in consortiums, have prepared their projects. They have to aim towards delivering specialized services of the target groups – institutionalized children, ex-prisoners, people sentenced to probation, drug addicts and roma offenders. During the month of August four projects were approved – two Bulgarian ones and two Romanian.
Тhe first of them two Bulgarian projects is called “Network for social reintegration of offenders” and is prepared from four NGO`s Consortium with leading organization “Help for Children at risk” – Pazardjik. The other organizations are International Initiatives for Cooperation – Razlog, Foundation “Perspectives” – Sandanski and Foundation for Regional Development “Roma” – Plovdiv.
The second project “Welcome in Society” is unified The Association of Judges in Bulgaria, Prison Fellowship, Bulgarian psychotherapy association, Association for development of personality and human communities – Pleven and Bulgarian psychiatric association.
The projects will be implemented during th period August 2006 – September 2007.
On the photo: Andrey Momchilov and Orlin Tsekov from Crime Prevention Fund – IGA, participating in the training.

Representatives of 20 NGO from Bulgaria and Romania – are trained in Koprivshtica

From 27th June to 2nd July in Koprivshtica was carried out training for representatives of the nongovernmental sector from Bulgaria and Romania, organized by Crime Prevention Fund – IGA. The training is within project “Improving Equal Treatment and Human Dignity of Members of Vulnerable Groups Sentenced for a Penal Offence” with the support FAR Networking Program of the European Commission. Partner of Fund IGA on the project is Penal Reform International. Both organizations work in cooperation whit Prison Fellowship, Romania, The Association for Probation and mediation in justice (SPJ), Czech Republic and Hungary Helsinki Committee, Hungary. In the training participation took representatives of 10 Bulgarian and 10 Romanian nongovernmental organizations. Trainers were Jiri Kopal and Mihaela Tomisova from the Czech Republic, Slavka Kukova from Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Elena Trifonova from Institute for Research and International Studies, Diana Bolanu and Diana Ureche from Romania. Participation in the discussion took also the coordinator of the project Mihaela Sasarman. The discussed themes were: sources of discrimination, discrimination behavior, the legislation in Bulgaria and Romania, preparation, development and design of advocacy campaign. The project continues with the preparation and implementation of 6 small projects from the organizations whose representatives participated in the training.

 Work meeting in Romania by partner project

Yesterday Marina Manolcheva – Executive Director of Crime Prevention Fund – IGA, the Program Director Dimitar Rusinov and Andrei Momchilov – Legal Adviser of the organization returned frоm visit in Romania. They took part in the first work meeting of the partners on project “Improving Equal Treatment and Human Dignity of Members of Vulnerable Groups Sentenced for a Penal Offence”, implemented with the support of PHARE Program of the European Commission. The representatives of Penal Reform International, Mihai Popescu (London), Mihaela Sasarman and Silviu Dumitru (Romania), Carmen Fiscuci from Prison Fellowship Romania, Dagmar Doubravova from the Institute of Probation and Mediation – Czech, as well as participant from the Hungary Helsinki Committee, together with the team from Pazardjik were acquainted with the plan and the activities for creating an international network of nongovernmental organizations, working with offenders. The participants from the participating organizations will be trained by English specialists on implementation of new methods for work whit different offenders, as well as carrying out of advocacy campaigns.