The project From “Victim” to “Victor”: Support for refugees, victims of gender-based violence aims to provide quality support to women, girls and LGBTIQ+ refugees who are victims of gender-based violence. It aims to increase the capacity of the staff working with refugees through training in gender-sensitive approaches, creating a model for individualised support, and promoting newly adopted legislative measures in this field. The activities within the project include: development of a methodology for assessing the needs of victims of violence, training of frontline staff, identification and individualised support for victims, digital empowerment through mapping of services to help vulnerable groups and developing specific content on the topic for the Refugeelight.bg platform, and employment mediation for social and economic inclusion. The project aims to improve the protection and integration of refugees in Bulgaria by applying gender-sensitive approaches in their support.

Methodological materials developed by The Foundation for Access to Rights - FAR for the project From “Victim” to “Victor”:

1. Identification of a person who has experienced violence

2. Individual case management plan

3. Risk and Needs Assessment Form

4. Sample Form for Service Feedback

On September 17 in Sofia, we held a training seminar on “Methodology for Identifying and Protecting Refugees, Survivors of Gender-Based Violence.”

The participants included representatives of the Ministry of Interior – Border Police, Migration Directorate, Sofia Directorate of Interior, regional police directorates, the State Agency for Refugees, the Ombudsman’s institution, lawyers, as well as NGO experts.

Find out more by following the link here. 

On February 27, 2026, the Foundation for Access to Rights conducted a specialized training seminar on the topic "Gender-sensitive approaches in the reception of refugees and the procedure for international protection."

Highlights from the training: The leading lecturers of the seminar, Atty. Valeria Ilareva and Atty. Yanka Kosarova, presented key topics related to the improvement of protection and procedures for persons seeking protection:

• Refugee law with a human face: We examined in detail protection, reception, and procedures through the lens of gender sensitivity. 

• EU Pact on Asylum and Migration: We discussed the new gender-sensitive reception conditions and procedures established in the Pact.

  

  The practical role-play game sparked great interest, during which participants took part in a simulation of a personal interview for identification of vulnerability and specific needs when considering applications for protection. We also presented FAR's Methodology for identifying and protecting victims of gender-based violence, published on the project's page.