27/09-04/10/2016- Training programme of the Sixth Round of the Women’s Human Rights Training Institute (Bulgaria)

Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF), in cooperation with its partners the Advocates for Human Rights from Minnesota, the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights /ESCR-Net/ and the European Women Lawyers’ Association/ EWLA/are pleased to announce the Call for Applications to participate in the training programme of the Sixth Round of the Women’s Human Rights Training Institute (WHRTI), 2016-2017. The first session of the Institute will be followed by a workshop of the International Network on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Institute is a unique initiative founded by the BGRF, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Network of East-West Women (NEWW) in 2004. It is the first-of-its-kind programme aimed at building and developing the capacity of young lawyers from Central and Eastern European and the Newly Independent States (CEE/NIS) for litigation on women’s rights issues, including:
- violence against women,
- sexual and reproductive health and rights, and
- social and economic rights and employment discrimination.

Twenty five participants will be selected among practicing lawyers and legal counselors working with human rights or women’s rights NGOs in the region. Successful applicants should:
- have a substantial and sustainable interest and a demonstrated commitment to women’s human rights advocacy and/or litigation and in using the law creatively to secure redress for women’s rights violations;
- have a professional relationship/affiliation for at least one year prior to the application with an institution/organization that has capacity to litigate women’s rights cases or has experience with litigation and preferably focuses in its work on women’s human rights;
- have demonstrated interest and basic knowledge of the international universal and regional human rights law, legal standards and instruments,
- be committed and available to actively participate in all the three sessions of the Institute (approximately one week every six months) and to be involved in the intersessional work;
- have fluency in written and spoken English, and advanced English language comprehension.

The WHRTI takes place in Bulgaria. WHRTI will consist of three sessions that are scheduled every six months. The first session will last 8 days and will be focused on the development of legal feminist theories, establishment of the relevant resgional and universal norms and standards, and the available legal remedies at regional European and universal level. The second session will last 5 days and will be focused on practical exercises with the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms – Moot Court Session. The Third session will also last for 5 days and will provide the participants the opportunity to exercise their practical legal skills addressing the UN treaty bodies on a variety of legal issues affecting women disproportionately and especially the UN CEDAW Committee. The same group of participants work together for a period of 20 months. The working language of the Institute is English.

All expenses related to the selected participants’ attendance at the three sessions of the Institute are covered by the organizers.

Τhe completed application form and all supporting documents must be sent to the Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation (BGRF) by 30 June 2016.

The First session of the WHRTI 6 is planned for 27 September until 2 October 2016, and the workshop of the ESCR- Netwill take place on 3 and 4 October 2016.

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