Bulgaria Charity Warns Domestic Violence Worsening in Pandemic

An already worrying situation with domestic and gender-based violence in Bulgaria has worsened during the state of emergency, according to an NGO working in the field, the Sofia-based Bulgarian Fund for Women.

Eight women have lost their lives after being killed by their partner since the state of emergency was imposed on March 13, the fund said.

In the last few days alone, media reported several new cases of gender-based violence. On Wednesday, a man was arrested for raping a 16-year-old girl in Mezdra and on Tuesday, a 41-year-old woman from Pleven was hospitalised in critical condition after being beaten by her partner, currently under arrest.

Over the last month, calls to the Children's Hotline in the country have also increased.

On May 26, the Fund for Women, along with CauseB foundation and Bulgarian Donor Forum, launched an awareness campaign and an appeal fund that will support directly shelters working with women and children who are victims of abuse.

All contributions will go towards buying supplies, especially those that are most relevant to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The fund said the response in the first 48 hours in terms of reactions and donations had been encouraging. "We hope to gather 15,000 euros in donations after which this sum will be doubled by our organisation's resources," Nadejda Dermendjieva, executive director of the Bulgarian Fund for Women, told BIRN.

"Cases of violence are increasing and the number of places in shelters is simply not enough. We need to build a setting for imposing quarantine on newcomers, and additional hours of work with psychologists and lawyers," she added.

"There is also a growing need to purchase COVID-19 tests, disinfectant and protective equipment," the...