site.btaSecret Footage from Gynaecology and Cosmetic Procedures Leads Ombudsman to Decry Violations of Women's Dignity

A camera filming women in a gynaecology exam room in Sofia was reported on Wednesday, adding to earlier media disclosures about secretly made footage from cosmetic studios in Burgas and Kazanlak. Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva described the practice as "a dreadful violation of the right to human dignity."

Outgoing Health Minister Silvi Kirilov ordered the Sofia Regional Health Inspectorate (SRHI) to conduct an immediate inspection following the leaked footage from the gynaecology exam room in the capital, the Health Ministry said. It noted that the SRHI had already found a camera in the room. A statement of findings was drawn up, and the materials collected will be submitted to the competent authorities.

The Health Ministry urged patients to report any suspicions of unauthorized cameras installed in doctors' offices.

On Monday, the Burgas District Prosecutor's Office said that an investigation had begun after a client of a cosmetic studio for laser procedures in the seaside city discovered she had been filmed by a camera while undressed for treatment.

Authorities in Kazanlak, Central Bulgaria are investigating internet reports about illicit photos and videos of women receiving treatment in cosmetic studios in the town. The probe is being conducted by the local police department at the request of the Regional Prosecution Office, the Office said on Wednesday.

Later on Wednesday, Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva said on bTV: "What we are witnessing now is a dreadful violation of the right to human dignity." Delcheva said her office has issued a recommendation to the Interior Minister, the Justice Minister, the Health Minister and the Personal Data Protection Commission. She urged the victims to contact the police, which should then provide the information to the prosecution service to establish whether a crime has been committed.

"At present we have no specific rules setting out which recordings are protected in such situations," the Ombudsman added. She noted that the Personal Data Protection Act does not explicitly state that it is forbidden to make video recordings in toilets, beauty salons or other sanitary premises. "These cases give us grounds to insist on such a provision in the Personal Data Protection Act. Such offences should be included in the Criminal Code, and the people who committed them should be punished according to the established procedure," she urged.

The Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) said in a statement: "Turning women's vulnerability into pornographic content for commercial purposes reveals the scale of the harm and serious gaps in prevention, control and institutional response." The BFW added that "this constitutes an unacceptable violation of human dignity, the right to privacy, bodily integrity and medical confidentiality." The organization expressed deepest sympathy and solidarity with all those affected.

"Their cases should not be treated as isolated incidents. They outline an alarming pattern of systemic sexual and online violence against women in Bulgaria," the BFW argued.

The organization also noted that the lack of legal charges so far reinforces the sense of impunity and further deepens the trauma and insecurity of the victims. "Online violence has a long-term and cumulative effect. Every viewing, sharing or dissemination of such recordings constitutes a new act of violation," the statement reads.

The BWF noted that the EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence covers the filming and distribution of intimate images and videos without consent, as well as cyberbullying and cyberstalking. "Nevertheless, Bulgarian legislation still does not provide full and clear protection against all forms of online violence."

The Fund called for immediate and transparent action by the authorities: effective investigations, real criminal accountability, removal of illegal content, and adequate support for the victims.