Guideline on Tackling Domestic Violence

There are many ways to increase awareness about the issue of domestic violence against women. Improving legislation and ratifying important treaties is one way to protect victims. Other ways to improve women’s situations in Bulgaria were recommended by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2019. It was recommended that authorities provide gender-sensitive training to law enforcement and judiciary personnel on the nature of violence against women, its causes and consequences and on how to handle cases of violence against women. In addition to that, it was recommended to raise awareness among the general public about violence against women (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2019)

This guideline aims at fulfilling some of the UN Committee’s recommendations. It is aimed at police officers who deal with domestic violence cases, and ultimately intends to better prepare police officers in dealing with cases of domestic violence against women and children. This will be done through good practice sharing by The Netherlands Police. This guideline is part of a larger project, which also aims at generating political will for legislative and practical measures to combat gender-based violence and at increasing public intolerance to gender-based violence.

This guideline is a product of The Netherlands Police in cooperation with the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. The Netherlands Police was invited by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee to write this guideline with the aim of sharing good practices in dealing with domestic violence against women and children.