site.btaEconomic and Social Council Leader Calls for Reform in Anti-violence System

The case in Stara Zagora, in which an 18-year-old girl was disfigured with a box cutter, was the last straw. It sparked a heated public debate, giving people a reason to discuss such things more openly. Many other shocking cases have begun to surface, Zornitsa Russinova, Chair of the Economic and Social Council and former minister of labour and social policy, told BTA in an interview.

Russinova commented: "The MPs mobilized to amend the Penal Code, but the debate should not stop there. The amendments will certainly improve the situation and will help ensure more justice, which is something that the public expects. We should go on and make a serious reform. We also need to realize that we can hardly make progress unless we, as a nation, stand united against violence.

"The public interest should be kept alive, so that there is zero tolerance for such cases. There are many things that can be done. They depend on concrete commitments related to the Protection from Domestic Violence Act. The measures against aggressive behaviour should begin from the education system."

According to Russinova, all women and children victims of violence should be aware that they cannot solve the problem on their own, they need to look for help. This calls for high public confidence in the institutions.

In connection with International Youth Day, August 12, Russinova discussed the government's role in building occupational skills in young people and providing career opportunities for them. She said the subject of skills is very important because the problem of understaffing in Bulgaria is, again, as acute as it was before the COVID crisis. At a roundtable meeting in the National Assembly a month ago, the Economic and Social Council presented an analysis on skills development. Russinova noted that the matter has been viewed in a fragmentary way by separate government ministries.

The Economic and Social Council has a major role to play in drawing up a plan about what should be done in this field, beginning from primary and secondary school. "To have a well-trained workforce and good career opportunities, we need to develop cognitive skills from the earliest childhood," Russinova said.

The reform in the system for occupational training of adults should not be overlooked either. There are possibilities for considerable investments from Europe in developing, for example, digital skills, but they do not produce the expected results, she said.

Discussing the green transition, Russinova said the multiple crises over the last few years affected the policies in this field. "The political crisis kept the executive and legislative branches of power from working consistently in this area," she said. She expressed hope that this autumn the government will focus on completing the transposition of relevant EU law into national legislation. "Bulgaria should make use of EU funding and derive benefits from the green transition," Russinova said.

She expressed hope that the efforts made in the last few months on the path to eurozone membership will continue. She called for a massive awareness raising campaign, rather than just a dispute about whether there should be a referendum on adopting the euro in Bulgaria or not. "People wonder what will happen with their bank loans and their wages after accession to the eurozone. The only way to end disinformation on the matter is to provide enough answers to the citizens' questions," Russinova said.