Man beats his wife to death in Vratsa after she asked him to stop drinking

Another fatality as a result of domestic violence. In the village of Banitsa, Vratsa dostrict, Northwestern Bulgaria), a man beat his wife to death after she asked him to stop drinking. The man has been arrested, the Ministry of the Interior said on January 19. The number of domestic violence cases across the country is alarmingly rising. In the Montana region alone, there were 1,081 cases of domestic violence in 2024, 264 more than in 2023. In one of those cases, the restraining order was violated more than 13 times.

In the past month alone, there have been eight reported cases of domestic violence in Montana, with six of the victims suffering serious physical injuries. One of the victims, whom we will call Elena, shared that physical violence is not the only problem. She lives in constant fear.

"Jealousy to the point of madness was his problem. He always had to control when I could leave, when I could come home, which friends I could see and which I couldn’t. He didn’t hit me often, maybe once or twice, but he was extremely aggressive with threats. I decided too late to request a restraining order," she shared.

The main reason for the significant gap between reported cases and established incidents of domestic violence is the lack of courage and the shame felt by the victims.

"The report could be made by a neighbour. Officers respond to the call, but when they arrive, the door opens and both the woman and the man say, 'There is no domestic violence here, we didn't call anyone," noted Chief Inspector Todor Todorov from the Montana Regional Police Department.

Ninety-three immediate protection orders were issued in the Montana region last year, with violations found in 10 of them. However, the actual number of violations may be much higher.

"In one specific case, the protection order was violated 13 times. This shows that for some individuals, there is no effective prevention. These cases should be under a special regime—protection from violence, for violation of protection orders," said lawyer Stefan Stefanov.

Lawyers experienced in defending victims of domestic violence argue that delays in processing cases of violations of restraining orders lead to a loss of trust in the justice system. The sharp rise in domestic violence cases in some regions of the country calls for urgent action from the authorities.