PERIOD : 12 months (01/10/2025 – 30/09/2026)
DONOR: Netherlands Helsinski Committee
CONTEXT In Bulgaria, women seeking asylum face not only displacement and trauma but also entrenched structural barriers that silence their voices and deny them meaningful access to justice. Discriminatory procedures, gaps in protection, and harmful stereotypes often shape their encounters with the asylum system. Survivors of gender-based violence risk being disbelieved or retraumatised; mothers with young children are at times held in detention; women from marginalised communities (such as Roma or sub-Saharan migrants) experience intersecting layers of prejudice. Even when their cases reveal serious flaws — ranging from failures to protect against domestic violence to unlawful deportations or denial of access to asylum — their struggles remain largely invisible. This project responds to that gap. By developing and disseminating stories rooted in real litigation cases, CLA will amplify the voices of displaced women, shed light on the structural barriers they face, and contribute to policy debates on gender-sensitive asylum and access to protection. It will also build CLA’s long-term capacity to pair strategic litigation with effective, ethical storytelling — ensuring that the courage and resilience of women asylum seekers continue to inform advocacy, awareness-raising, and reform efforts in Bulgaria and at the European level.
The project is designed to generate a set of clear, measurable outcomes that combine communication impact, policy relevance, and organisational strengthening. ● Amplified voices of women asylum seekers – 4 short, professionally produced videos will present the lived experiences of women seeking asylum in Bulgaria, Increased awareness and policy dialogue. The videos will shed light on systemic barriers in the Bulgarian asylum system (and in the EU), such as detention practices, gender-based violence, and obstacles to gender-sensitive asylum procedures.
●Increased awareness and policy dialogue The videos will shed light on systemic barriers in the Bulgarian asylum system (and in the EU), such as detention practices, gender-based violence, and obstacles to gender-sensitive asylum procedures.
●Strengthened organisational capacity CLA will develop practical tools and internal workflows for integrating communication into its litigation and advocacy work.
●Expanded visibility and solidarity networks Through targeted outreach, the videos will circulate within Bulgarian and European networks,
●Lasting impact beyond the project By the end of the project, CLA will not only have produced a high-quality set of communication outputs but will also have built internal expertise in rights-based storytelling.
