Addressing Challenges in Civil Registration

Lom, Bulgaria: 18–20 June 2024

The second training under the project “The Right to Personal Identification – A Basic Human Right”, finance by MARIO, was held from June 18 to 20 in Lom, hosted by the Roma-Lom Foundation. The purpose of the training sessions was to identify and discuss problems in issuing Bulgarian identity documents, as well as possible solutions, methods and approaches to overcoming these challenges.

Participants were introduced to the topic through a lecture on the emergence and development of issues related to access to personal documents for Bulgarian citizens. The magnitude of the affected group and the consequences of lacking personal documents were identified. The lecturers addressed the core of the problem and outlined the necessary actions to resolve it. This first part of the training concluded with a practical activity where participants engaged with specific case studies and challenges.

In the second part of the program, trainees received a detailed overview of the relevant laws, specifically the Law on Civil Registration and the Law on Bulgarian Personal Documents, along with the necessary changes to address the problems in their issuance. This theoretical lecture was followed by practical activities in small groups, allowing participants to understand and conceptualize both the problems and the solutions.

The final lecture focused on the role of institutions in these processes, particularly regarding the issues faced by individuals without personal documents. Possible solutions were further explored through exercises and discussions in small groups.

The concluding discussion summarized the identified problems and proposed solutions, while also providing participants the opportunity to ask questions, express their opinions, and share their satisfaction with what they had learned.

Both training events aimed to prepare advocates to engage in public discussions with marginalized communities, local authorities, and institutions to promote changes in the Civil Registration Act and support this process. To this end, up-to-date information is being maintained on social networks and the website of the IGA Fund.