site.btaJustice Minister Says Better Coordination Is Key to Prevention of Domestic Violence

In a video address at a conference on domestic violence, Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev Thursday said: "Our main concern is to ensure better coordination between institutions and to establish a clear, mandatory and binding protocol for action when information about domestic violence is received. The adoption of the coordination mechanism is my primary task as Deputy Chair of the National Council for Prevention and Protection against Domestic Violence, so that this document can become binding for all state institutions as soon as possible."

The findings of a survey conducted among domestic violence victims were presented at the event organized by The WakeUp Foundation.

"We have launched an information campaign and, together with public media, we are successfully promoting the idea of support from those closest to the victims. We are also preparing to open regional centres across the country, as eight regions have no centres providing free legal aid," Georgiev said. Efforts are underway to adapt the existing financial mechanism to avoid repeating last year's situation, where all state funds remained unused for the second year in a row due to poor organization on the part of the government.

The NGO sector has been tasked with preparing project proposals for work on the ground. This is the way prevention of domestic violence can become state policy, said the Justice Minister.

Georgiev was participating in a Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.