The Minister of Justice gathered in a working group over 70 top experts to combat domestic violence
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The Minister of Justice gathered in a working group over 70 top experts to combat domestic violence

Domestic violence is not just a personal issue - it is a serious violation of human rights and a social wound that affects us all.

The Bulgarian government does not remain indifferent to this issue and recognizes the importance of taking immediate measures to combat domestic violence, considering the fight against it as a priority. In this regard, the Minister of Justice, Georgi Georgiev, gathered over 70 experts, including practitioners, judges, investigators, prosecutors, representatives from academia, the non-governmental, and governmental sectors, into a working group to address domestic violence. On February 17, 2025, the first discussion of the working group took place, aimed at preparing a comprehensive analysis of the Bulgarian legislative framework's alignment with Directive (EU) 2024/1385 of the European Parliament and Council of May 14, 2024, on combating violence against women and domestic violence, and preparing the necessary legislative changes. Among the experts in the working group was lawyer Milena Kadieva, founder and director of the "DA - United Against Violence" Foundation. Kadieva is an active lawyer before Bulgarian and international judicial institutions, an international human rights defender and an advocate for equality and justice for over 20 years, holding national and international recognition for professionalism in the field of law. She has been engaged in public benefit activities for years, maintaining a Counseling Center for Victims of Domestic Violence, working in the areas of education and empowering women and children, and lobbying for legislative changes concerning domestic violence, children's rights, and gender equality.

During the meeting, upon the proposal of Associate Professor Dr. Iva Pushkarova, it was decided that the working group would be divided into eight teams, each focusing on refining specific measures from the Directive (EU) 2024/1385 that would be incorporated into our legislation. Some of the necessary legislative changes were emphasized, related to:

- Defining crimes and punishments in the areas of sexual exploitation of women and children, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, and cyberbullying;

- Introducing a requirement for expert experience for investigators in the field of domestic violence;

- Introducing tools for effective investigation and criminal prosecution of domestic violence, especially for collecting, analyzing, and securing electronic evidence in cases of cybercrimes;
 
- Protecting the rights of victims of all forms of violence against women or domestic violence before, during, and within an appropriate time frame after the completion of criminal proceedings.

Among the main tasks of the National Legal Aid Bureau (NLAB) is to establish regional counseling centers in every district city by the end of the year. NLAB Chairperson Natalia Ilieva emphasized that as a result of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior, the NLAB, and the Bar Councils, there has been a 100% increase in the number of reports and applications for legal assistance from victims of domestic violence. Together with the national coordinator for domestic violence issues at the Ministry of Interior, Zornitsa Shumanova, they called on all institutions engaged in domestic violence prevention to join the agreement."

 

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