Human
rights news: October 2004
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14 October 2004 |
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Human Rights Project Press ReleaseBulgaria Violates its International Obligations by Rejecting the Draft
for Establishment of a Fund for Educational Integration of Minority Children
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Sofia, October 13, 2004 - On October 07, 2004 the Parliament of Bulgaria rejected at first reading the Draft Law for Establishment of a Fund for Educational Integration of Minority Children . (For more details see the Press Release of HRP from Monday, October 11, 2004 is available at http://dev.eurac.edu:8085/mdinfo?serial=1097662868718 and also at http://www.bghelsinki.org/frames-press.html). After HRP examined closely the argumentation of the leftist opposition that voted ‘against’ the Draft and thus rejected the Draft, HRP is obliged to declare the following: 1. The main reason of the leftist opposition was that the Draft creates ‘preferences’ in favor of the Roma children and thus puts the Bulgarians in an inferior state. According to the speakers of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) there is no problem with the equal access of minority children and especially of the access of the Roma children. This problem ‘has been a general one for a big part of the Bulgarian children and families’ said the main speaker on behalf on BSP Ms. Evgenia Zhivkova (granddaughter of the former communist dictator of Bulgaria Todor Zhivkov). She added also that Bulgaria should not divide the children by ethnic origin. 2. That kind of argumentation enters in strong contradiction with the international obligations of Bulgaria and especially with the Framework Convention for Protection of the National Minorities that Bulgaria ratified in the beginning of 1999. Art. 4, para. 2 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities provides that ‘The Parties undertake to adopt, where necessary, adequate measures in order to promote, in all areas of economic, social, political and cultural life, full and effective equality between persons belonging to a national minority and those belonging to the majority. In this respect, they shall take due account of the specific conditions of the persons belonging to national minorities.’ And para. 3 states that 'The measures adopted in accordance with paragraph 2 shall not be considered to be an act of discrimination.’ Beside this Bulgaria has undertaken the obligation to pass such a Law at the Budapest meeting of eight Prime Ministers that took place on June 30 and July 01, 2003. 3. It is absolutely clear for everyone that the Roma people are subjected of all–round discrimination in Bulgaria. The very existence of the segregated ‘Roma’ schools is a kind of discrimination. Because of it the establishment of Fund for Educational Integration of Minority Children is a way for overcoming the educational discrimination. Thus, the affirmative measures in favor of the Roma children could not be considered as granting of privilege to someone. 4. Thus the argumentation of these MPs who voted ‘against’ the Draft for Establishment of a Fund for the Educational Integration of Minority Children did so most probably because of their strong nationalistic attitudes. Furthermore it is obvious that by rejecting of the establisment of the above mentioned Fund Bulgaria infringed its international obligations. Our Parliament should as soon as possible stop that infrigement by passing of the rejected Draft. On behalf of HRP: Emil Cohen
Ivan Ivanov is Chair of the Board of HRP. Dimitrina Petrova, Dimitar Georgiev, Mitio Kemalov and Rumian Russinov are members of the Board. Emil Cohen emilcohen@bnc.bg is Executive Director. Our address: 23 Solunska St., 6th floor, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria Emil Cohen |