Justice Minister Proposes Legal Changes Targeting Paedophilia

Almost 700 reports of sexual abuse against children have been registered over the past two and a half years. A total of 434 sexual crimes against minors have been recorded, with 64% of victims aged under 14. In 80% of cases, the offences involve indecent assault.

Against this backdrop, the justice minister has proposed legislative changes related to paedophilia. The key proposal is that the statute of limitations for prosecuting crimes against children should begin to run from the moment the victim reaches adulthood, rather than from the time the offence was committed, as is currently the case. The proposals also include harsher penalties for sexual offences against children under the age of 10 – specifically, prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Georgi Georgiev, outgoing justice minister, said:
“We are giving judges greater scope to apply the law in its full extent and severity. In addition, the most serious crimes against children will be heard at first instance by regional courts, where cases are examined by panels of three judges, rather than by district courts, where proceedings are often handled by a single judge and two lay assessors, who very often do not have legal training.”