Bulgaria is stepping up efforts to end violence against women, but significant gaps remain. The incidence and severity of violence against women in Bulgaria remain higher than the average of all countries in the European Union (EU).[1] Since 2019 at least two women each month have died from domestic violence, and there has been an increase in violence against women and children since the beginning of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite the scale of the problem, an estimated 70 to 80% of cases of violence against women still go unreported.[2] Policy dialogue concerning violence against women in Bulgaria has had a long and controversial history. Some of the important challenges faced include the slow pace of policy and legal reforms, the non-availability and non-accessibility of support services for victims of domestic violence, and poor coordination of efforts.

One of the ways WHO is supporting Bulgaria to overcome these challenges is by setting into motion key amendments to reform the national legislation concerning violence against women and bring it in line with international standards. Since 2015 WHO has supported the enactment of laws to criminalize all forms of domestic violence. In January 2021, WHO supported Bulgaria’s Ministry of Justice to prepare a draft law amending the Protection against Domestic Violence Act (PADVA), with the participation of the office of the Ombudsman, Civil Society Organizations, and NGO partners. With the entry into force of the new law, a National Commission for Prevention of Domestic Violence will be established as a coordination body for all interventions to prevent and combat violence against women. The Commission will be headed by a deputy prime minister, deputy ministers from seven ministries and heads of three agencies and have representation from key stakeholder groups.

WHO is also providing support to ongoing reforms to simplify and accelerate the procedures for victims of domestic violence and sexual violence to access free legal aid and immediate protection. Key amendments underway include protection for children who have suffered or witnessed domestic violence, the establishment of a National Referral Coordination Mechanism (NRCM) to help and support victims of violence, an extension of up to three to six months in the deadline for applying for protection from domestic violence, an obligation of medical practitioners to report domestic violence cases, and an expansion in the eligibility and category of women who can seek protection from domestic violence.

Asides from the legal reforms, WHO is also providing support to ensure the availability and accessibility of support services for victims of domestic violence. WHO and some NGO partners are currently running a joint advocacy and awareness-raising campaign to promote the importance of maintaining services for women and child victims of violence especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, WHO has published guidance for policymakers and national health systems on actions that can be taken to address violence against women, and developed an information sheet together with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) on the collection of data on violence against women and girls during COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO has also been involved in improving the practical skills of professionals in institutions (healthcare, law enforcement, and welfare institutions) for working with victims of violence against women through serious, systematic, and targeted training.  This support includes the development of training materials and training methodology to establish a permanent capacity-building program for practitioners to identify and report domestic violence cases, and to provide mandatory therapy for perpetrators of domestic violence.

These efforts have yielded some important achievements. Two more support centers for victims of domestic violence have been established in response to a WHO-supported recommendation from the office of the Ombudsman in 2019. WHO is providing support to establish more support centers in all 28 regions of Bulgaria to meet the minimum standards of the Council of Europe.[3] Victims of domestic violence will benefit from accommodation in the support centers, and from specialized services such as a 24-hour free telephone line for consultations. WHO is also currently reviewing the estimates of violence against women in Bulgaria. This estimate meets a crucial need to address the lack of a systematic and integrated database of domestic violence cases in Bulgaria. The WHO-supported reforms also envision that the national commission will establish and maintain a central register and database of domestic violence cases and a register of all licensed social service providers that have victim protection activities.

WHO’s ability to continually provide dependable guidance to policymakers, and to support various stakeholders (e.g., Ministries of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman, NGO partners, Civil Society Organizations, and Members of Parliament) for high-level policy dialogue, has been important to the ongoing work and progress in ending violence against women in Bulgaria.