site.btaFour Ministries Identify Measures Against Violence and Aggression

Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov met with representatives of the Ministries of Interior, Labour and Social Policy, Justice, and Education and Science, to discuss measures against aggression and violence on Thursday. At a press conference after the meeting in the Council of Ministers, Denkov said that more than 15 measures against aggression and violence have been identified.

"Almost all of the measures are at the level of the Council of Ministers and ministries, requiring coordination between institutions. There are also measures related to amending legislation," he explained.

Some of the specific measures were presented by representatives of the line ministries who participated in the meeting.

More psychologists in kindergartens and schools

Education Ministry will look for opportunities to increase the number of psychologists in the next year, said the line Minister Galin Tzokov. “They will be directed primarily to kindergartens and schools where there is a more cases of aggressive behaviour and violence," he explained. 

Tzokov defined psychologists as a particularly important element in the process of dealing with aggression. He added that mentors also play an important role. “There will be mentors in over 30 schools. The aim is that next year they will be able to operate on the territory of individual districts and conduct consultations in schools with more serious manifestations of bullying,” he stated.

A national personal development programme will also be launched this year, the Minister noted and added that it would fund activities with parents. He pointed out that anti-violence measures should also start in families. Tzokov pointed out that the national programme is expected to be extended to kindergartens and schools.

The Education Ministry will also focus on building conflict mediation teams. Tzokov said that instructors and psychologists, together with parents, will seek solutions in conflict situations.

Network of specialized services for victims of violence

The Social Policy Ministry will propose the development of a network of specialized services that will be accessible to all victims of violence, Deputy Social Policy Minister Maya Vassileva. “Shorter-term and more urgent measures have been identified by the Ministry,” she added.

"It is necessary to have at least one such service in each Bulgarian region. These services could include different packages for prevention and support for victims of gender-based domestic violence, such as medical, legal, social and psychotherapeutic activities. Their creation should be included in the National Map of Social Services, which is currently being developed and will be ready by the end of 2023. Currently the support services for victims of violence are insufficient and not evenly distributed throughout the country,” Vassileva explained. 

She stressed the need to prepare a National Programme for the Prevention of Violence. 

She also announced that six specialized teams will be established in the six economic regions of the country to work in coordination on the implementation of the identified measures against violence. Awareness raising activities would also be undertaken, she noted. 

Methodological guidelines for police actions in accordance with amendments to Protection Against Domestic Violence Act

Methodological guidelines for the actions of police authorities in cases of domestic violence are currently in force, said Deputy Interior Minister Ivelina Dundakova.

The methodological instructions detail the actions at each stage - from receiving the signal to visiting the site, talking to the victims and working with the perpetrators, Dundakova clarified, adding that these guidelines will be adapted to the new changes in the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act, which came into force on August 1. 

The Deputy Minister pointed out that the General Directorate of National Police is the leading structure in the Ministry of Interior. The Directorate has already established a Domestic Violence Sector, which carries out methodological work with the district coordinates. For at least 10 years, all regional directorates have had coordinators for prevention and protection from domestic violence, Dundakova said. She said efforts were also aimed at encouraging survivors of domestic violence to report what had happened to the competent authorities. 

The Deputy Minister pointed out that the National Police General Directorate is the leading structure in the Interior Ministry. The Directorate has already established a Domestic Violence Sector, which carries out methodological work with the district coordinates. For at least 10 years, all regional directorates have had coordinators for prevention and protection from domestic violence, Dundakova noted. She added efforts were also aimed at encouraging survivors of domestic violence to report what had happened to the competent authorities. 

Dundakova highlighted as an important step in the fight against violence the work of the expert council for the creation of an automated information system on domestic and gender-based violence. According to her, the aim is to incorporate all cases of violence into a single portal. 

She said that the Interior Ministry, along with the Justice Ministry and lawyer councils, are working on a memorandum for effective cooperation.

National Information System covering all cases of domestic violence

Bulgaria will set up a national Information System covering all cases of domestic violence and specifying who the victims were, the type of violence, what measures were taken and which institutions were responsible in each particular case, Deputy Justice Minister Emil Dechev said.

The Justice Ministry was the leading institution in the drafting of the revisions to the Protection Against Domestic Violence Act which became effective of August 1. A case in point of these amendments was the establishment of a National Council for Prevention and Protection Against Domestic Violence, he recalled.

The Justice Ministry and the National Office for Legal Assistance have signed a Memorandum with the Interior Ministry and the colleges of lawyers in the country with the idea to promote coordination between institutions on the subject. According to the text of the document, any police officer in the country who receives a report of domestic violence is obliged to inform the victim that he or she can receive free legal assistance, which will be taken care of by lawyers on duty. Dechev stressed that 18 of the 28 colleges in the country have joined the initiative so far.