site.btaReport on Gender Equality in Bulgaria Reveals 736 Cases of Domestic Violence Identified in 2022

According to a draft report on gender equality in Bulgaria in 2022, published for public consultation, 736 cases of domestic violence were identified, including 10 persons with disabilities, 188 women, six men, and 542 children. 

Bulgaria lacks official statistics on the number of reports of domestic violence. The Bulgarian Agency for Social Assistance collects information on identified cases of domestic violence in the Social Assistance Directorates (SAD).

The social services delegated by the State to which children and victims of violence can be referred on the territory of the country are currently: 20 crisis centres for children with a total capacity of 212 places, eight crisis centres for persons with a total capacity of 94 places, 146 community support centres with a total capacity of 6,050 places, one community support centre/community centre for children and families with a total capacity of 30 places and 12 "Mother and Baby" Units with a total capacity of 75 places.

By the end of 2022, 115 children were placed in crisis centres for children and 55 individuals were placed in crisis centres for adults, the report added.

An increasing number of people in Bulgaria decide to seek help in cases of domestic violence, psychologists Prof. Margarita Bakracheva from Sofia University and Katya Krustanova, clinical psychologist and psychotherapist at Animus Association Foundation, told BTA. 

In the first half of 2023, the Interior Ministry received 1,950 domestic violence protection orders. Of these, 647 are permanent protection orders and 1,303 are immediate protection orders, according to the summary data collected and processed by the National Police General Directorate. Pre-trial proceedings for crimes committed in the context of domestic violence increased by 40%. In the first six months of the year, they amounted to 596, compared to 426 in the same period in 2022.  According to data from the Interior Ministry, 35 cases of domestic violence were detected in June 2023 alone. The solving rate is 3.8%.