The violence over children has (become) a pandemic in Bulgaria
Every second child in Bulgaria is at risk of violence!
Dear Sirs/Madams,
The subject of the letter to the government institutions is the doing on systemic violence against children in Bulgaria. 95% of the child abusers had already been forced, 80% that are using harmful substances like drugs were abused in the past, 95% of the people who prostitute were sexually abused in their childhood, and 78% of the kids who are imprisoned were abused in their past[1].
According to the General Directorate, “National Police” several emergency numbers 112 are called because of domestic violence cases. For 2024, there were over 40,000. The submitted signals from the same addresses were frequently repeated, and 40% of the signals required an ambulance to be sent.
Today, 2na April, there are several protests organized because of the cruelty and maltreatment of Adrian from his mother’s boyfriend in Plovdiv. Society’s intolerance regarding the children abuse is increasing. Government institutions and legislation lag drastically behind the contemporary ways of prevention and children’s safety is an existing lack of adequate punishing persecution for all times of home abuse, including purposeful training of experts who are working in that sphere. A lack of enough capacity in children’s protection in terms of supporting kids victims of abusers is also a huge issue that exists.
Children’s justice in Bulgaria is out of date, and inadequate, it does not keep the victims and it does not punish the abusers. The sexual harassment of children’s cases late with years. National Network for Children following closely the case of the English “pastor” Hall accused of systematic fornication of 14 kids from Sliven. The case is an eloquent illustration of the whole disability of the government to provide connection to justice for children victims of criminal acts and sexual encroachment that has been going on for more than two years. The children were inquired in a blue room and the interviews were over midnight. Another inquiry follows by the prosecutor and non-compliance of the forensics investigation actions with children’s victims and disruption of processual rights and best interests. There are several challenges of judges and a panel of judges accountable from Sliven, Stara Zagora, and Yambol for Hall’s case that might cause a risk of canceling the jurisdictional process. In such a case that will make kids and their parents victims for a second time, and at the same time it increases a loss of confidence in the jurisdiction system and children’s violence protection.
For over a decade, the community has been waiting for a political decision for the reformation of the system that fights against the antisocial events of juveniles and minors. The same system is executed law that was accepted in 1956. The Government is punishing kids for actions that do not punish adults. There is still a lack of existence of the measurement’s restoration practices and, a lack of enough effective institutional and resource support for kids, their parents, and societies that live in a risk. There is a huge deficit in the children’s protection system and the system that fights antisocial activities. In many cases, the kids’ crime is not interrupted on time and the country for the first time sees the so-called “deviant” youths that had already treated them as subjects of criminal accountability.
Based on the above, the National Network for Children insists on the following seven key reforms that have to be accepted for the name of Bulgarian kids:
- The National Children Strategy has to be accepted. Strategy still does not exist for a sixth year. That is in incision with the Bulgarian legislation. It will ensure the lack of coordination between institutions that work with children and their families, including crime victims.
- Full implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support, and protection of victims of crime. Adopt an amendment to Article 140 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, according to which the interrogation of a minor witness should be conducted in front of a judge, in a specially equipped room, by trained specialists and, immediately after the establishment of the act, should be recorded by audio-visual technical means, with the number of interrogations being limited to a minimum.
- Re-establish the work of the Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to edit and update the draft Criminal Diversion Act to replace the Criminal Diversion Act of 1956. Adopt new legislation with a broad catalog of restorative practices for children in conflict with the law that brings together the efforts and resources of the justice, social, health, and education systems.
- Closure of Social Pedagogical Boarding Schools and Juvenile and Boarding Schools and creation of educational supervision centers where placement is to be implemented only as a final measurement. The capacity of the new centers should not exceed 10 children and the children placed should be of similar behavior. The centers should be adequately staffed and competent personnel.
- To make legislative changes to establish judicial panels in the country specializing in cases involving children in contact or conflict with the law.
- Increase the capacity of institutions to collect data on cases of domestic violence against children and introduce a national information system for prevention and protection from domestic violence.
- All institutions working with children should systematically implement approved and appropriate tools to train professionals to recognize and respond appropriately to violence against children and to use risk assessment procedures.
We look forward to timely action by the state on the seven key reforms for Bulgaria’s children thus set out.
National Network for Children
Sofia,
02 April 2025
[1] The data was presented at the National conference “Together against Child Abuse” held at the end of November 2024. We would like to remind you that the National Network for Children has been trying hard for years to achieve united and reliable recoverability of the data regarding child violence in Bulgaria. The data regarding domestic violence marks the realization of the National Information System to The State Agency for Child Protection and National Information System.
