„Happy Family“

Every child has the right to a peaceful childhood and a suitable environment for development. In the presence of family conflicts, in addition to the violation of these rights, the child is subjected to mental stress, which can lead to depression and a number of other mental conditions.

In the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art. 27 state asserts the right of every child to a standard of living adequate for the child’s physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development. The parent(s) or others responsible for the child have the primary responsibility to secure, within their abilities and financial capacities, the conditions of living necessary for the child’s development.

Regarding domestic violence, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. (Art. 1), and it affirms that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. (Art. 3), it emphasizes that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (Art. 5).

Article 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria states “No one shall be subjected to torture, to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as to non-violent assimilation”.

Authors: Deyan Valentinov, Ivelina Tikhomirova (XIb grade) and Silvia Alexandrova (IXa grade) from the High School of Science and mathematics “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Montana.

Reflection Questions:

  • Check the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and find the articles and rights that may be related to the topic.
  •  Mental and physical inviolability is related to the right to respect of private life. How do you understand the concept of psychological inviolability?

 

 

 

Inequality at Home

My photo is about women’s rights and equality between spouses (Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Article No. 5). It expresses everything a woman does. Often, when she successfully copes with various duties, no one notices, but when she makes even a small mistake, she is judged. Her life is mostly very busy and people must  understand that because there is a need for change.

Author: Vanessa V. Kozareva, student, 6th grade, 109 “Hristo Smirenski” School, Sofia

Reflection Questions:

  • What do you think equal rights and responsibilities mean?
  • Does gender inequality exist and what does it mean?

Help

Help

According Article 25 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights „Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of  livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

When we met this man we understood that his human rights have been violated. The man has no job, he is elderly, forced to live on the street in a box. There is no way for him to eat normally and he relies on what he finds next to the waste containers or relies on people who give him handouts.

Author: Martin Stanoev, student, 11th grade, High School of Science and Mathematics  “Acad. Sergey Korolev”, Blagoevgrad

Reflection Questions:

  • In what way can it be said that having a place to live and the opportunity to work is a human right?
  • Which international human rights documents refer to the right to a place to live?
  • Who has the primary responsibility for people having a place to live? Why?

Expectations

“Dress more elegantly! Be a lady! A little makeup never killed anyone!” These unrealistic expectations and social pressures  destroy the originality, self-esteem and psyche of young girls. Stop it!

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women condemns any distinction, exception or limitation based on sex which is aimed at weakening or minimizing the recognition or exercise by women, regardless of their marital status, based on of the equality of men and women, human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field. (article 1).

Authors: Deyan Valentinov, Ivelina Tikhomirova (XIb grade) and Silvia Alexandrova (IXa grade) from the “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Montana.

Reflection Questions:

  • How do expectations for women of a certain appearance relate to human rights?
  • Which are the dominant stereotypes related to the gender roles in your community?

Woman’s Pain

According to the European Convention on Human Rights, a woman has the right to freedom and security (Article 5). And, no one should be subjected to torture (Art. 3) or discrimination (Art. 14).

My photo symbolizes the pain of women who are victims of violence. The rose expresses the pain in a woman’s heart, which often remains invisible, unlike the physical, which we cannot always hide. Many women become victims of violence and in most cases they do not tell anyone. There needs to be more talk about this problem because this should not continue.

Article 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria states “No one shall be subjected to torture, to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as to non-violent assimilation”.

Author: Vanessa V. Kozareva,  6th grade, 109 Hristo Smirenski School, Sofia

Reflection Questions:

  • Do you know what does it mean “violence against women”?
  • What are the laws in Bulgaria regarding violence against women?
  •  What  can be done and improved in terms of adequate prevention, support and protection of victims of violence?

Labels

Verbal harassment is a serious problem that violates a number of basic human rights. It destroys the victim’s self-esteem and can be fatal. Labeling people at an early age can affect their individual development.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. (Art. 1), it affirms that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. (Art. 3), it emphasizes that no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. (Art. 5), no one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. (Art. 12).

Article 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria states “No one shall be subjected to torture, to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as to non-violent assimilation”.

Authors: Deyan Valentinov, Ivelina Tikhomirova (XIb grade) and Silvia Alexandrova (IXa grade) from the High School of Science and Mathematics “St. Kliment Ohridski”,  Montana

Reflection Questions:

  • What is the definition of harassment?
  • What does the law(s) in Bulgaria say about harassment?
  • Explain the relationship between bullying and human rights.

Am I distracting you?

Everyone has the right to dress the way they want, as long as it does not violate the public order. Unfortunately this right is often violated. Shoulders are not distracting. Clothing is not something to ask for permission and consent.

The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women condemns any limitation based on sex that aims to weaken or minimize the recognition or fulfillment of women, regardless of their marital status (article 1).

Authors: Deyan Valentinov, Ivelina Tikhomirova (XIb grade) and Silvia Alexandrova (IXa grade) from the “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Montana.

Reflection Questions:

  • What does freedom of expression include?
  • Does the choice of clothing fall into freedom of expression?

Style is a choice

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in thе Universal Declaration of Human Rights, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

Our society imposes “norms” on the division of the sexes and their style of dress. Men should wear suits with ties, women should wear skirts and heels. To see the opposite is unthinkable. What stops millions of people from expressing themselves through the way they dress is fear. The fear of being ridiculed and discussed. The fear of being rejected by society. A fear of your own making. Mental boundaries that all people have and because of which these norms still exist. Everything is only in our head and it’s high time we throw away these stereotypes and realize that no matter how people dress – we are all human. We are all equal and whether I wear a skirt or a suit with a tie, it is what makes me different makes me also the unique person that I am.

Self portrait. Author: Mihaela Georgieva, student, 11th grade, Foreign Language  High School “Peter Bogdan”, Montana

Reflection Questions:

  • What does freedom of expression include? Does the choice of clothing fall into freedom of expression?
  •  Have you witnessed harassment based on someone’s clothing style?

Equal in dignity

The photo shows the equality in dignity and rights of people of different races, established in Art. 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “ All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.“

Art. 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria “All people are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.

The photo also shows the right to freedom from discrimination and freedom of thought and religion.

Author: Ralitsa Pantova, 10th grade student, “Ivan Vazova” Secondary School, Varshets

Reflection Questions:

  • What forms of racism do we find in society today? Is it different from the past?
  •  Do you know organizations or institutions in Bulgaria that work against racism and racist attitudes? Please explore and share what you found about their work.

Knowledge has no gender

In Bulgarian universities of medicine, it is a common practice that the maximum and minimum entry grades are different for men and women. In 2021 the lowest score for women was 33.20, and for men – 28.46. The same trend is observed in software engineering admissions, but in the opposite direction – the minimum score for men is higher than that for women.

The education system should not set different criteria for men and women – they prevent us from getting equal access to education and discriminate on the basis of gender.

Art. 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was violated as well as art. 6 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria “All people are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The right of access to education has been violated (Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Article 53 of the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria). The right to protection from discrimination has been violated (Article (14) of the European Convention on Human Rights).

Author: Sabrina Sabrieva Gavazova, 12th grade, PMG “Yane Sandanski”, Gotse Delchev

Reflection Questions:

  • Which international human rights documents refer to the right to education in addition to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)?
  • What is the relationship between the right to education and the principle of non-discrimination?