At the beginning of the summer, the “Notebook 2024: What is the State Average in Child Care?” was produced in Bulgaria. It is the thirteenth edition of the Annual Monitoring Report of the National Network for Children. The document assesses the guarantee and implementation, within the calendar year 2023, of children’s rights through the implemented state policies for children and their families.
The publication covers the sections: “Children’s participation” (horizontal policy), “Child welfare”, “Family environment and alternative care”, “Protection from all forms of violence”, “Justice for children”, “Early childhood development”, ” Children’s health”, “Education”, “Sports, culture and free time”.
The part “Protection of the child from all forms of violence” receives a higher rating compared to previous years due to adopted changes in the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence, including of injured children. However, there remained an urgent need for investment in personnel in the welfare system and a response to the ongoing regression in the protection system. Cases of violence against children show the insufficient capacity and resources of professionals working with and for children, incl. social workers and law enforcement authorities – both to identify and to prevent, report and respond to cases of violence. In schools, there are no working mechanisms for prevention and intervention in cases of bullying. There is no unified information system for the number and type of cases. Despite the record 46,300 reports to the National Center for Safe Internet, for another year no sustainable government support was found for its work. The rating is a good 3.54 on the six-point scale.
Data on the spread of violence against children in Bulgaria
At least eight different institutions collect information on violence by and against children, using different systems. As a result, the data between the institutions diverges, and unified statistics are missing.
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, in 2023, 1,893 children suffered violence, and 1,799 crimes were committed, with the largest number being bodily injury, followed by theft. Crimes committed by children are 4,796.
Cases of school bullying are collected by the Ministry of Education and Science. During the academic year 2022/2023, 3,319 incidents of physical harassment and verbal aggression were registered. Data collection is difficult and figures incomplete because cases are often not reported until they are complicated and reach the media, where their coverage continues to include elements of sensation seeking, which only feeds attitudes that there is no law and order that children need a “firm hand” and not systematic prevention, training of teachers and parents. Often in school violence is either unrecognized or cases are ignored or hidden and so many “mild” cases go unnoticed until they escalate.