At the beginning of 2016, the Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC), Hungary, and the Bulgarian Center for Not-for-profit Law (BCNL) as one of the European partners in the project "Innovating European lawyers to advance rights of children with disabilities" launched a specialized training course for lawyers to raise their skills to effectively represent children who have been victims of multiple human rights violations, including institutionalization, denial of inclusive education, abuse and mistreatment. At the national training seminar in Bulgaria, which took place on 1 and 2 November 2016 in Sofia, they were trained about 20 professionals, including: attorneys from different Bar Associations – Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Dobrich – experts on children's rights, persons with disabilities and discrimination of the office of the Ombudsman of Republic of Bulgaria, students in Law at three universities - University of Plovdiv, New Bulgarian University and University of National and World Economy – and lawyers working in civil society organisations with an interest in developing their expertise in children’s rights and advocacy.

As a result of the national training seminar and strategic stakeholder meetings on the topic of protection of the rights of children with mental disabilities from all forms of violence in 2016 and 2017, an informal platform of Bulgarian lawyers and advocates for the rights of children with intellectual difficulties was established. With the assistance of MDAC, Hungary, in early 2017, the Platform developed a strategic document containing an analysis of the right of protection against ill-treatment and other forms of violence against children with intellectual disabilities in Bulgaria, as well as strategic approaches to improving their access to justice. The strategic document was called - National Legal Innovation Strategy in Bulgaria "Platform for Protection of the rights of children with intellectual disabilities from all forms of violence" - Stakeholders` Position.

Materials available for free download​:

• Training Pack “Innovating European lawyers to advance rights of children with disabilities” (English version)
• Сборник с обучителни материали "Новаторство за европейските юристи, за да бъдат застъпени по-добре правата на децата с увреждания" (Bulgarian version)

• National Legal Innovation Strategy in Bulgaria "Platform for protection of the rights of children with intellectual disabilities from all forms of violence" - Stakeholders’ Position (English version)
• Национална стратегия за новаторство в правото в България "Платформа за защита правата на децата с интелектуални затруднения от всички форми на насилие" - Позиция на заинтересованите страни (Bulgarian version)

1 The project "Innovating European Lawyers to Advance the Rights of Children with Disabilities („Новаторство за европейските юристи за да бъдат застъпени по-добре правата на децата с увреждания“) is coordinated by the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC) – Budapest, in partnership with organisations from eight European countries - Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. The project partner for Bulgaria is the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-profit Law. The project is co-funded by the European Union.

  Co-funded by the Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme of the European Union

This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the project “Innovating European lawyers to advance the rights of children with disabilities” (project number: JUST/2014/RCHI/AG/PROF/7362). The contents of this publication can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Commission.