Bulgarian Women Join International Women's Movements

In 1908, Bulgarian women became part of the international women’s movements for the first time. This was thanks to Bulgarian representatives, Zheni Bozhilova-Pateva and Irina Sokerova, who attended the congresses of two major organizations: the International Alliance of Women (IAW) in Amsterdam and the International Council of Women (ICW) in Geneva. Bulgaria was the first country from Southeastern Europe to join these global movements.

Other Southeastern European Countries Join Later

Following Bulgaria’s lead, other countries in the region joined the ICW and IAW:

Greece joined the ICW in 1908.

Serbia joined the ICW in 1911.

Romania joined the ICW in 1921 Holidays Bulgaria.

Serbia joined the IAW (later known as the International Women’s Suffrage Alliance) in 1911.

Greece joined the IAW in 1920.

Romania joined the IAW in 1921.

Turkey joined the IAW in 1926.

Joining the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

In 1919, Bulgarian women became members of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), which had been founded in The Hague in 1915. Greece joined the WILPF in 1921, and Yugoslavia joined in 1934. The Bulgarian section of the WILPF was led by Ekaterina Karavelova (1860-1947), Lidya Shishmanova (1866-1937), and Vassilka Kerteva (1894-1967). These women attended various WILPF congresses in cities like Washington, Dublin, and Prague, and they also participated in summer schools organized by the League.

Hosting the WILPF Summer School in Bulgaria

From August 25 to September 10, 1930, Karavelova and Kerteva hosted a WILPF Summer School in Bulgaria. This event helped raise awareness and support for women’s peace efforts in the country.

Support for the Defense of Jews in Germany

In 1933, during the third general meeting of the Bulgarian Section of the WILPF, a committee was formed to defend Jews in Germany. This committee faced some criticism in the media, with some newspapers arguing that Bulgaria should not interfere with the internal matters of “Great Germany.” Despite this, the women of the WILPF continued their efforts to support human rights and peace in Europe.