site.btaThree Ministers Present Mobile App for Domestic Violence Victims

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel, Justice Minister Atanas Slavov and Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov Thursday presented a mobile application for domestic violence victims.

The mobile app called Help Me provides information on the scope of legal aid that is provided. The app has been developed by Information Services JSC under a project implemented by the National Legal Aid Bureau (NLAB) and funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021.

"We are sending a very strong message that the Bulgarian public won’t tolerate any kind of violence – physical, psychological or online. That is why, it is very important to us, as Government, to look for solutions and to implement them quickly, to encourage victims to speak out and seek help, and to look for ways to eradicate violence from Bulgarian society," said Gabriel, who heads the National Council for Prevention and Protection Against Domestic Violence under the Council of Ministers established by the recent amendments to the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act. She noted that the app also sends a clear message of coordination between all institutions, regional and crisis centres and points to the fact that the protection and support of victims will be a common responsibility. 

"I am glad that as Justice Minister I can talk not only about judicial reforms but also about what has been done to help people's lives, especially the lives of vulnerable groups such as domestic violence victims", Slavov said. "The application will be the interface of the National Coordination Mechanism, a document that lays down the main procedures of interaction between the executive power, local government, and legal persons involved in domestic violence prevention and protection," he noted, adding that the mechanism will be completed by the end of the year and will be effective at the beginning of 2024, as provided by the law.

"For more than 16 years, the Interior Ministry has been involved and played a leading role in preventing domestic violence and improving inter-institutional interaction and cooperation between various state institutions and representatives of the non-governmental sector. Throughout all these years, the Interior Ministry has been proactive in encouraging survivors of domestic violence to report abuse to the competent authorities," Stoyanov said.

NLAB President Natalia Ilieva explained that the idea of the mobile app is to provide people with access to contact details – an address, phone number, email – of the nearest institutions engaged in the protection and support of victims. "One can send an email or dial the numbers on the app with just one click," she said, adding that the app can be easily used by the domestic violence victim’s relatives or friends and is available on the App Store and Google Play.

Ilieva said that 66 applications for legal aid for domestic abuse victims have been submitted since March, when a memorandum of cooperation and partnership for the protection of domestic violence victims was signed by the Justice Ministry, the Interior Ministry, NLAB and Bar Councils. Three of the victims were men, and 63 were women.

Thursday’s event was attended by government officials, UNICEF representatives, lawyers, and human rights activists.