Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Praise Bulgaria for Reducing its Child Mortality Rate, Ask About Efforts to Address Online Sexual Exploitation of Children and Corporal Punishment
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Bulgaria, with Committee Experts praising the State for reducing its child mortality rate, and raising questions about efforts to address online sexual exploitation of children and corporal punishment.
One Committee Expert said Bulgaria had made significant progress in reducing the mortality rate for children under age five. However, there were challenges in addressing mortality rates in rural areas.
Hynd Ayoubi Idrissi, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Bulgaria, said that there were high levels of sexual violence against children in Bulgaria, especially online. What measures were in place to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent the sale of children and child pornography? How was the legal framework in this regard being aligned with the Convention?
Another Committee Expert said the prohibition of corporal punishment was weak and there was social acceptance of such violence. What measures had the State party taken to strengthen normative prohibitions of corporal punishment and to introduce national programmes to address corporal punishment?
Introducing the report, Ivanka Shalapatova, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Bulgaria and head of the delegation, said the reporting period was characterised by a lack of stability in the country and a series of political crises. Despite these difficulties, Bulgaria had achieved progress in the implementation of the Convention. Many of the Committee’s recommendations received in 2016 had been reflected in policies, programmes and legislative changes over the past eight years that safeguarded and promoted the wellbeing of children.
The cybercrime section of the Ministry of the Interior worked to protect children from online sexual exploitation, the delegation noted. Children were informed of different online threats and taught how to use the internet safely. In November 2023, the first national conference on children in the digital world was held.
Ms. Shalapatova said the Government recently adopted a National Programme for the Prevention of Violence and Abuse of Children 2023-2026, which defined the framework of the national policy for combatting violence against children. A new programme for the development of integrated services for victims of violence was currently being prepared. In addition, the Bulgarian authorities had established a free national children's hotline, which received calls from all over the country.
In closing remarks, Ms. Ayoubi Idrissi said the Committee was happy to hear throughout the dialogue of all measures in place to implement the Convention in Bulgaria. It would closely monitor the implementation of each measure. The Committee hoped that the mechanism to monitor follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations would be rapidly implemented. It also looked forward to Bulgaria acceding to the third Optional Protocol as soon as possible.
In her concluding remarks, Ms. Shalapatova said Bulgaria would carefully study all the Committee’s concerns and recommendations and promptly take follow-up actions. The exchange had allowed the State to clearly assess areas where progress had been made and areas where further efforts were needed. Bulgaria was committed to delivering on its promises and ensuring the rights of children.
The delegation of Bulgaria consisted of representatives from the State Agency for Child Protection; State Agency for Refugees; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education and Science; and the Permanent Mission of Bulgaria to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue its concluding observations on the report of Bulgaria at the end of its ninety-fifth session on 2 February. Those, and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public this afternoon at 3 p.m. to consider the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Senegal (CRC/C/SEN/6-7).
Report
The Committee has before it the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Bulgaria (CRC/C/BGR/6-7).
Presentation of Report
IVANKA SHALAPATOVA, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Bulgaria and head of the delegation,said Bulgaria had been facing a range of challenges in past years related to regional and global realities, and the reporting period was characterised by a lack of stability in the country and a series of political crises. Despite these difficulties, Bulgaria had achieved progress in the implementation of the Convention. The newly elected regular Government had an ambitious agenda to turn Bulgaria into a great place for children to be born and develop their full potential in a protected and inclusive environment. Many of the Committee’s recommendations received in 2016 had been reflected in policies, programmes and legislative changes over the past eight years that safeguarded and promoted the wellbeing of children.
In July 2020, the Child Protection Act was amended to ensure notification of imminent risk of abandonment of a child after birth and prevention of abandonment of a child with a disability. Legislation on deinstitutionalisation was also reformed. Bulgaria now had less than 200 children in institutional care in old type children’s homes, compared to more than 7,500 in 2009. From the 137 institutions that existed in 2009, there were now only four, which the State was committed to fully closing by the end of this year. The Government recently adopted a National Programme for the Prevention of Violence and Abuse of Children 2023-2026, which defined the framework of the national policy for combatting violence against children. A new programme for the development of integrated services for victims of violence was currently being prepared. In addition, the Bulgarian authorities had established a free national children's hotline, which received calls from all over the country.
The Government was resolutely committed to eradicating child poverty. It had formulated a national objective for reducing the number of children under 18 at risk of poverty or social exclusion. Several key changes were made to the Family Allowances Act and the Labour Code to support families and empower parents to participate in children’s lives. An entirely new legal framework for social services had been instated by the new Social Services Act of 2020, which aimed to improve mechanisms. In November 2022, Bulgaria adopted an action plan on the establishment of a European Child Guarantee to 2030. As part of its first implementation activities, nearly 50,000 vulnerable children and their families would benefit from activities for health prevention, home visiting services for children from zero to three years, services for early childhood development and intervention, counselling and mediation for the labour market.
In June 2023, significant amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code were adopted to fully guarantee the right of minors to a fair trial. The total reform of the child justice system was one of the pillars of the new National Strategy for the Child 2024-2030, which aimed to achieve a higher level of care and guarantee children’s rights. The State Agency for Child Protection and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy had conducted an in-depth consultative process with children, which contributed to fairer, child-centric policies. A good practice in child participation was the Children’s Council, an advisory body to the Chair of the State Agency for Child Protection, consisting of children aged 13 to 18, including children from vulnerable groups. Their opinions and proposals were considered in the creation and implementation of strategies, policies and programmes.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, 2.1 million Ukrainians had entered Bulgaria and 171,571 Ukrainians had registered for temporary protection, most of them women and children. Bulgaria had taken measures to support refugees from Ukraine with temporary protection, providing them with access to the labour market, psychological support, social welfare assistance and social services, accommodation and education. Thousands of Ukrainian school-age children were enrolled in the Bulgarian education system.
After the concluding observations were received, Bulgaria would establish a plan to ensure their implementation by the National Council for Child Protection and the National Children’s Council.
Questions by Committee Experts
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Bulgaria, commended Bulgaria for its international initiatives promoting the Convention and actions to protect the rights of children worldwide. She expressed hope that the new Government would bring the country the political stability needed to promote the rights of children domestically. What measures were in place to give effect to the planned accession to the Optional Protocol on the communications procedure in 2025?
The draft amendment to the law on the protection of children had been withdrawn due to some of its provisions running counter to the Convention. What were these provisions? How did the body responsible for following-up on the Committee’s recommendations work, when was it created and what impact had it had? Had appropriate resources been assigned to ensure that the National Strategy for the Child was implemented effectively? Bulgaria’s investments in education and social sectors were below the European Union average. Were there plans to increase such investments and develop child-sensitive budgeting processes? Bulgaria did not have a centralised data system to monitor all areas related to violence against children. Were there plans to create such a system?
Bulgaria had an active Ombudsperson that promoted the rights of the child, but the office had only two staff and insufficient resources. Were plans in place to increase this office’s resources? Children did not have direct access to complaints mechanisms; they needed to be represented by adults. Were there plans to change this? What measures were in place to make training on the Convention compulsory for people who worked with children? What was the State doing to disseminate information on the Convention to ensure that all of society was aware of it? Civil society reportedly did not have enough social space to play its role. What measures were in place to help civil society to promote the Convention?
Ms. Idrissi commended the State party for amending the Family Code to make marriage illegal under the age of 18. What measures were in place to enforce the law and ensure that such marriages did not occur?
Another Committee Expert commended the establishment of a permanent working group for combatting discrimination against children. This commission had only addressed a small number of child discrimination cases. What measures were in place to make its remedy processes more accessible for children? What efforts had been made to close loopholes in legislation that could lead to discrimination of children?
Some Ukrainian refugees arriving at the southern border of the State had reportedly been pushed back. Why had pushbacks of children occurred? What efforts had been made to promote the best interests of the child, including migrant children? Were there efforts to establish protocols to combat hate speech by public officials? There were examples of cases of hate speech by politicians that threatened the rights of children. What efforts had been made to remove barriers to children participating in society?
Bulgaria had made significant progress in reducing the mortality rate for children under age five. However, there were challenges in addressing mortality rates in rural areas. What efforts had been made in this regard, including to prevent road accidents and suicides? What efforts had been made to ensure that recent legislation on digital privacy promoted children’s privacy?
One Committee Expert said the prohibition of corporal punishment was weak and there was social acceptance of such violence. What measures had the State party taken to strengthen normative prohibitions of corporal punishment and to introduce national programmes to address corporal punishment? Would the new National Strategy for Children address the prevention of corporal punishment?
Bulgaria had commendable legislation on deinstitutionalisation, but there was reportedly a lack of oversight of institutions. Why was this? Children who left institutions had difficulties integrating into society and the number of children in out-of-home placements had reportedly not decreased. What was being done to strengthen the foster care system? There was evidence that the child protection system often failed to prevent family separation. Was this due to a lack of resources? What measures had been taken in recent years to prevent vulnerable children such as Roma children from being separated from their families?
How was the State party ensuring that officials trained in children’s perspectives interviewed children who complained of abuse in child-friendly settings? Did child victims of abuse currently need to attend courts to be cross-examined? There were 19 crisis centres in the country, which could support up to 200 children. These centres and child protection services were reportedly unable to meet the demand for their services. What measures were in place to increase these services’ resources?
Had Bulgaria taken any measures to combat online sexual exploitation of children and to prevent unnecessary surgery for intersex children? Were there services for children whose parents were undergoing divorce proceedings? One in four children in Bulgaria was reportedly left behind by parents who sought to work abroad. Had the State party taken measures to support children who were left behind?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said amendments to the Criminal Code provided more severe punishments for various crimes with xenophobic, racist, sexist or religious motivations. Amendments to the Criminal Procedural Code strengthened procedural guarantees for children charged with a crime or suspected of a crime and protections for child victims of crime. Amendments to legislation on marriage required authorities to investigate marriages of children aged under 18.
The Government had launched a new initiative to develop a National Strategy for Children that was based on consultation with children, including vulnerable children, and parents. The Government aimed to finalise the Strategy by the end of this year. The Strategy aimed to strengthen the child protection system and to establish a State authority with the funding and power required to enshrine children’s rights in all State policies.
Bulgaria did not have a child rights budgeting mechanism. However, investments in children and families had increased from 2.1 per cent of gross domestic product in 2017 to 4.7 per cent in 2022. The Government was developing a joint system with other States in the European Union to assess the impact of investments in children.
The Child Protection Agency had this year started developing a national information system on children and funding had been allocated for its implementation. This system would include data on children at risk, children on the adoption list, children who had dropped out of school, and other data relevant to child protection. The system would inform child protection policies. There were also databases on health, education and crimes involving children.
The Government was taking several initiatives to allow civil society organizations to work with the Government to ensure children’s rights. Non-governmental organizations were active participants in the National Council for Child Protection. A project on social participation with 22 million euros in funding was being developed. Service providers for local authorities would receive increased funding under this project. There were good practices of companies investing in public-private projects that aimed to promote children’s rights.
The Family Code had been amended to allow adopted persons and adoptive families to access information on adoptees’ biological parents. Amendments had also been made to allow minors accused in criminal proceedings the right to individual assessments and medical proceedings, the right to be accompanied by a parent in court proceedings, and the right to privacy in private and family life. Another amendment reduced periods of pretrial detention for accused minors. “Blue rooms” designed as safe spaces for children were used in criminal trials, pretrial proceedings and other proceedings. Video interviews and other measures were also used to protect child victims in justice proceedings. There were currently 70 “blue rooms” established across the country. The Child Protection Agency had drawn up a methodology to assist professionals working with children in “blue rooms”. The Family Code was amended in 2023 to allow persons to file complaints to regional courts regarding the transportation of children to other States.
Unaccompanied migrant children were transferred to protection facilities, where social workers made rapid vulnerability assessments. Legal representatives were provided to unaccompanied children. Draft legislation had also been developed on the guardianship system for unaccompanied minors. The Government had found places in residential care facilities for 49 such minors in 2023. Training on child rights and minimising risk for migrant children in accommodation facilities was provided to border officials. Pushbacks of children were isolated cases. The Foreigners Act included a definition of unaccompanied minors and their rights in legal proceedings. All asylum applications were assessed by the State without discrimination.
Training in preventing suicide in adolescents was being provided to social workers and primary health care professionals. This had led to a significant decrease in the suicide rate in recent years. Amendments to legislation allowed pregnant women to access eight examinations prior to birth free of charge. The Government was introducing sexual and mental health education in all State schools from this year. This education programme aimed to further decrease suicide and depression rates among adolescents.
A national programme to prevent violence and child abuse was adopted in 2023. The programme targeted children whose parents resided overseas, victims of trafficking, and other vulnerable children. Concrete recommendations to improve existing legislation had been made. The programme also included a monitoring mechanism that collected data on violence against children periodically. The programme had encouraged increased use of “blue rooms”. Monitoring of hospitals where children were admitted was also conducted, and a roundtable discussion on institutionalisation had been conducted. The State was also developing standard methodologies for addressing child offenders and victims under the programme.
The cybercrime section of the Ministry of the Interior worked to protect children from online sexual exploitation. Children were informed of different online threats and taught how to use the internet safely. In November 2023, the first national conference on children in the digital world was held.
In this year’s budget, funding for crisis centres for children and women who were victims of abuse had been increased. Community support centres would also be expanded and social service interventions would be strengthened.
Questions by Committee Experts
One Committee Expert said the Committee appreciated the measures implemented by the State to advance the rights of children with disabilities. What awareness raising campaigns were in place to promote the rights of children with disabilities and to develop a database on disability? There was no system for monitoring developmental delays. Was the Government willing to work with the United Nations Children's Fund to develop such a system? The social protection system was reportedly fragmented. What measures were in place to address its weaknesses? Were there plans to transfer children in institutional settings to family settings? There was no regular training for professionals who worked with children with disabilities. How did the State party plan to increase the capacities of such professionals?
Another Committee Expert asked about efforts to establish a national children’s hospital. What measures were in place to promote the health of pregnant women? How was the Government ensuring that the National Programme on Maternal and Child Health received adequate funding? How was the State party promoting access to health services for Roma children? What had been the impact of efforts to promote breastfeeding? There was data showing that exclusive breastfeeding numbers were going down. Bulgaria had a high adolescent birth rate and abortion rate. What measures were in place to support adolescents’ access to reproductive healthcare and contraception, and to address stigma regarding such health services? Had the national programme to address maternal and child health to 2020 been evaluated?
To what extent did climate strategies incorporate the views of children? More than 90 per cent of children in Bulgaria were exposed to excessive levels of air pollution. What measures were being taken to address this?
A Committee Expert said that it was commendable that early childhood education was free from age three. However, there were very low levels of enrolment in such education in rural areas. How was the Government addressing this issue? Would funding in early childhood education be increased? Dropout rates were also concerning, particularly for girls. What was being done to stem this trend? Very clear attempts had been made to reform education, but the quality of education and the outcomes of vulnerable children remained of concern. Was a lack of funding in education a factor in this issue? Teachers were reportedly using outdated methods due to a lack of teacher training and recruitment of teachers was lagging. It was welcome that sexual and reproductive health education would be implemented in schools. The performance of Roma children was three years behind their peers. What was being done to address the root causes of this issue? There were reportedly high levels of violence in schools. What mechanisms had been established to combat violence in schools? Was the Government promoting mother tongue education, as well as cultural and human rights education? Bulgaria did not have enough teachers for children with disabilities in mainstream schools. What measures were in place to increase the quality of inclusive education?
The Expert commended Bulgaria for the large number of Ukrainian child refugees that it had accepted. However, there were reports of high levels of refoulement and violence against refugees from other countries at the border. How was the State party promoting the rights of refugee children and preventing pushbacks?
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Bulgaria, said that there were high levels of sexual violence against children in Bulgaria, especially online. What measures were in place to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent the sale of children and child pornography? How was the legal framework in this regard being aligned with the Convention? What had been done to implement the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur on this issue? How many children involved in armed conflict had Bulgaria identified and what support had it provided to such children.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there were no segregated schools in Bulgaria, but there were schools with high concentrations of vulnerable groups. The Government had invested heavily in transportation for vulnerable children to schools. State-funded education mediators helped to take care of vulnerable children. There were also working groups that visited neighbourhoods to encourage vulnerable children to participate in school. The State had removed kindergarten and school fees for all children. Free transport as well as breakfast and lunch were provided in “focal schools” with high levels of vulnerable students. As a result of such policies, the percentage of Roma children who obtained tertiary degrees had multiplied by six in recent years. A large-scale curricula reform would soon be launched to modernise the curricula. Assessments would be changed to introduce more practical testing. The Government was also investing in increasing teachers’ salaries, with salaries doubling over the past 10 years to over 125 per cent of average salaries. The Government had invested 100 million euros in improving digital resources in schools over the past five years. A working group had been established to prevent digital poverty and digital exclusion.
The Preschool and School Regulation Act included provisions for a screening test to assess the learning capacity of children aged three. In February, training would be conducted for preschool students in this screening assessment. Once relevant legislation was amended, the Government would consider implementing screening tests for children aged one and a half. Around 260 trainers had been trained in 2023 to strengthen inclusive education in schools. The State had transformed special needs centres into centres for inclusive education and support. The State was also working to implement sign language in schools.
The Ministry of Health had developed a National Strategy for Maternal and Paediatric Care, which aimed to sustainably improve children’s’ health. The Ministry funded screening of new-borns for early detection of diseases. Twenty-three mobile offices were providing support for vulnerable groups and Roma populations to access health care. Awareness raising campaigns on the benefits of breastfeeding were being implemented. There was already one national children’s hospital that had started operating this year. Funding for the development of a second children’s hospital in Sophia had been allocated. It would be developed in the next few years. The national health insurance fund had increased access to psychiatric treatment from one to two visits per month. The State was also developing clinical pathways for treating depression, schizophrenia and psychosis. Intersex children received consultation on developing their sexual identity.
Bulgaria carried out border controls in line with European Parliament regulations on the movement of persons across borders. Bulgaria cooperated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to monitor places of detention for migrants. Police ensured the best interests of the child. The Bulgarian Red Cross had access to police detention facilities. Information on children’s rights was provided to children through audio and written information in multiple languages. Training for border police on children’s rights was provided by multiple international organizations. Border police had procedures to investigate complaints and had organised a system of control with Frontex to check how police officers were behaving, including in places of detention.
The first Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography had been entirely transposed into domestic law through the amendment of the Criminal Code, which included new legal provisions that criminalised pornography and online sexual exploitation involving children to a more stringent degree. New proposed changes to the Criminal Code would also transpose the European Union directive relating to sexual violence and exploitation of children.
Social protection benefits had been increased for children with disabilities. Amounts allocated were differentiated according to the degree of disability and family circumstances. The new Social Services Act included a definition of disability and provisions for expanding social services for children with disabilities. A national programme to build a more holistic disability services network was currently being developed. The State’s aim was to close all institutions and support the reintegration of institutionalised children in their families. Kinship services or small-group homes would be provided as alternatives if family placement was not possible. There were more than 5,000 children in family care, as opposed to around 2,000 in small-group homes.
The State would amend the Child Protection Act after analysing its shortcomings. The Child Protection Agency had prevented over 2,000 family separations, and it aimed to increase this number. The State was developing legal amendments to allow foster care to be managed professionally. European Union funding would be provided for over 3,000 foster placements. Funding was also provided to support the reintegration of children exiting the care system.
There had been a significant drop in the child poverty rate over the past decade, although poverty levels were still too high. Social assistance had helped to reduce child poverty by over 40 per cent. The State aimed to provide timely benefits to support the empowerment of children and families to exit vulnerable situations. Provisions in the Family Allowances Act adopted to combat school dropouts and early childhood pregnancies had not worked as intended, and in some cases had had negatives impacts on the Roma population. The Government had started revising the Act to address this problem and ensure the quality of life of vulnerable children.
Corporal punishment was prohibited in Bulgaria by the Prohibition of Domestic Violence Act. Any domestic violence committed in the presence of a child was also considered to be mental or emotional abuse of the child. Amendments to this Act had been proposed to require relatives of abused persons to notify authorities of acts of violence. The 2019 amendment of the Criminal Code also criminalised all forms of domestic violence. In the event of non-compliance with protection orders, offenders were subjected to imprisonment for up to three years or fines of up to 250,000 euros. Bodily harm of minors was an aggravating circumstance.
The Commission for Protection against Discrimination issued regular recommendations regarding hate speech in election campaigns. The Commission had acted on its own initiative to investigate cases of abuse of children. In 2020, 15 complaints had been issued by schoolchildren through their parents, while there had been 45 complaints in 2023 concerning schools and kindergartens. The Ombudsperson maintained a special online form that children could use to submit complaints directly. Over 500 complaints had been received through this form in 2023. The Commission provided training programmes on the rights of the child to over 3,000 educational system staff and held workshops for students on the Commission’s procedures.
Questions by Committee Experts
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Bulgaria, said that she noted provisions implemented to incorporate the first Optional Protocol on the sale of children into domestic law. What had the State done to enact concrete measures to prevent the offences covered by the Optional Protocol? Poverty was often a factor that led to victimisation. What was the State doing to treat, care for and reintegrate victims, as well as empower them to submit complaints?
Other Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on the detention of children under the age of criminal responsibility; counselling services provided in schools; measures to prevent de facto segregation in schools; whether methods of age assessment for unaccompanied migrant children were child friendly; legislation on the detention of children migrating with their families; the timeline for reforming the child justice system and plans to implement urgent reforms in this sector; the capacity of the Ombudsperson to monitor the detention of children and plans to develop a specific Ombudsperson for children; policies regarding support for children coming from Ukraine; rehabilitation services for children with gambling addictions; regulation of artificial intelligence within the education system; training and information provided on the law on domestic violence; information provided on HIV/AIDS to adolescents; public perception of the ban on corporal punishment; and legal provisions on children consensually sharing sexually explicit images.
ANN MARIE SKELTON, Committee Chair, asked for detailed information regarding policies and practices on non-essential surgeries on intersex children.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said a campaign had been held on preventing violence and drug use by school students. The State analysed the number and types of violent incidents in schools to develop preventive measures. Such measures included the promotion of participation in sport and measures to dissuade substance abuse.
In 2020, an amendment was made to legislation on the detention of migrants based on a decision by the European Court of Human Rights. The amendments concerned migrants’ right to access information, a lawyer and interpretation in criminal matters. After six days in detention, migrant families were required to be transferred to accommodation facilities for refugees. All identified unaccompanied minors were immediately transferred to safe zones. In 2023, the State refugee agency adopted an age assessment mechanism that did not prioritise medical assessments. Refugee families had full access to child support services and day-care centres. Children with disabilities from Ukraine were not placed in institutions. These children stayed with their families or in kinship care. Only one had been placed in a small group home.
The Ministry of Health had worked with the World Health Organization to produce a statement on the harms of gambling. The Ministry had developed several workshops to bring the issue of gambling to the attention of children and their teachers. Gambling addiction treatment services were available for adolescents.
Medical standards for surgeries related to gender changes were in place. Doctors could not make decisions to change the gender of patients by themselves. Decisions on gender changes were made with parents for children under 18. Decisions were made in the best interests of the child.
The national programme to combat HIV/AIDS targeted children and persons at risk. Over 500 campaign activities had been carried out, including the distribution of contraception and information materials. Education on HIV/AIDS and safe sex was provided in schools.
Interviews of child victims of violence were carried out in “blue rooms” to prevent the child from encountering their abuser. Within 24 hours of complaints of child abuse, multidisciplinary teams led by social workers responded. All victims under the age of 18 had the right to be interrogated in the presence of a psychologist and a parent. There was no need to interrogate child victims multiple times as interrogations were recorded. Hotlines for reporting domestic violence and sexual violence could be used by children. Provoking a minor to watch pornography was a criminal offence, including for minors aged 14 to 18. Rapid legal aid was provided free of charge to victims of domestic violence at the location of victims.
Questions by Committee Experts
Committee Experts asked follow-up questions on the legal system regarding children who consensually created pornographic content; work being done to monitor air quality and address climate change; and the impact of measures to transport students from remote areas to urban schools.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said substantial work had been undertaken by the National Centre of Public Health and Analysis to monitor the impacts of climate change. It had developed guidance on air quality and workshops for health professionals, medical students and school students on minimising the risks of air pollution and climate change for children. Vulnerable families were particularly exposed to the effects of increasing temperatures, so health moderators were supporting those families to adapt to the changing climate. New regulations on household energy efficiency aimed to tackle the root causes of climate change while addressing heatwaves. Young people were actively consulted on climate change policies.
Concluding Remarks
HYND AYOUBI IDRISSI, Committee Expert and Coordinator of the Country Taskforce for Bulgaria, said the Committee was happy to hear throughout the dialogue of all measures in place to implement the Convention in Bulgaria. It would closely monitor the implementation of each measure. The Committee hoped that the mechanism to monitor follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations would be rapidly implemented. It also looked forward to Bulgaria acceding to the third Optional Protocol as soon as possible.
IVANKA SHALAPATOVA, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Bulgaria and head of the delegation, said the Bulgarian delegation greatly appreciated the dialogue with the Committee. Bulgaria would carefully study all the Committee’s concerns and recommendations and promptly take follow-up actions. The exchange had allowed the State to clearly assess areas where progress had been made and areas where further efforts were needed. The dialogue provided useful guidelines for reforming policies and practices regarding children in Bulgaria. The State would continue to work with the Committee and the United Nations Children's Fund to reform its system. Bulgaria was committed to delivering on its promises and ensuring the rights of children.
ANN MARIE SKELTON, Committee Chair, said that Bulgaria seemed poised to make progress in implementing the Convention and strengthening the rights of children, and the Committee looked forward to continuing to work with the State toward that goal.
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