site.btaJustice Minister Georgiev Attends Round Table on Protection of Children from Online Violence

Seventy thousand signals for downloading and distributing child sexual exploitation materials from Bulgarian IP addresses were received on the hotline 124 123 of the National Center for Safer Internet (NCSI) in 2024 alone. These were signals for children mainly between the ages of 10 and 13 being victims of crime. The data was presented at the round table "Protection of Children from Online Violence", which was attended by Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev, the line ministry said on Thursday.

In 72% of cases, children become victims of online sexual harassment on social media, according to NCSI data. The centre is a trusted partner of the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and the INHOPE network of Interpol.

Justice Minister Georgi Georgiev reported that this is a huge job done by the NGO and in partnership with the Ministry of Interior.

He explained that the regulatory framework regarding antisocial behavior and violations of public order by adolescents and work with them is archaic and irretrievably outdated. "That is why I have formed a working group, which includes representatives of the court, the prosecution service, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, academia and the non-governmental sector. Its task is to analyze statistical data, good practices from EU member states, study the practice of courts and commissions for combating antisocial behavior by minors and to propose a completely new working model for juvenile justice, which concerns both punishments and prevention and re-educational impact," said Georgiev.