Every time a woman comes forward with her story of domestic violence, she stands up on behalf of all victims. This not only takes courage, but it means that the woman in question is up against the wall, Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva said, speaking at a Thursday discussion on "Measures to combat domestic and gender-based violence in Bulgaria". The event is organized by the Animus Association Foundation and is held in Sofia. Before that, Tanya, a victim of domestic violence, had shared her story with the audience.
The Ombudsman pointed out that victims of violence rarely speak out. However, she believes that the law by no means covers all issues. The issue is also far from being limited to women. Children are victims too - witnessing violence traumatises them for life, Kovacheva said. There are cases of a son abusing his father, for example, she noted.
[The European Court of Human Rights] In Strasbourg is already aware that there is a very serious systemic problem with domestic violence in Bulgaria, the Omabudsman also said, adding that there are two rulings against Bulgaria.
/RY/
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