site.btaCabinet Adopts Coordination Mechanism for Assistance and Support to Victims of Domestic Violence

The Council of Ministers adopted a Coordination Mechanism for providing assistance and support to victims of domestic violence, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov announced after the Government meeting on Wednesday. 

In recent years, data from the courts, the prosecution service, and the Interior Ministry have shown a steady and extremely worrying increase in cases of domestic violence and in applications for protection. In several regions, cases under the Protection against Domestic Violence Act have been rising by 25–30% annually, including cases involving children, Zafirov said. 

The Protection against Domestic Violence Act set out clear rules defining what constitutes domestic violence and what measures the court can impose. Our task as the executive branch was to ensure that this law works as a unified system, and this is precisely what the Coordination Mechanism adopted today achieves. It regulates the key procedures for interaction among all involved institutions, the Deputy Prime Minister explained. 

The aim is for all actions to be synchronised. In each individual case, protection must be effective and adequate, without the victim being shuttled from institution to institution and forced to repeat their story, as has often happened until now. Clear procedures are established for coordination when children are involved. Every child at risk is treated not only as a witness but also as an independent victim requiring specific protection and the involvement of child protection authorities, Zafirov added.