New Mobile App Lets Children at Risk Report Abuse

Reports of children at risk are on the rise. The State Agency for Child Protection has announced that last year it received more than 6,600 alerts concerning children at risk.

Teodora Ivanova, Director of the Agency, explained:
“Most often, reports of violence involve psychological abuse, which inevitably accumulates and leads to other forms of abuse, such as neglect and disregard.”

Of the reports, around 2,000 involved violence, with 60% of cases taking place within the family. Data from the Agency show that most victims of abuse are girls.

Ombudsperson Velislava Delcheva has called for effective measures against corporal punishment of children. According to her data, about 40% of parents in Bulgaria admit to slapping their children.

Velislava Delcheva, Ombudsman of Bulgaria, stated:
“Six in ten children between the ages of 2 and 14 have regularly been subjected to corporal punishment by the people who look after them.”

As part of the second national campaign against violence against and between children "Be brave, be kind!", the Child Protection Agency has developed the mobile app "Syberkidz Patrol", through which children will be able to report to experts.

As part of the second national campaign against violence towards and among children, “Be Brave, Be Kind!”, the Agency for Child Protection has developed a mobile application called Syberkidz Patrol, enabling children to report incidents directly to experts.

Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, commented:
“Anyone with a phone will be able to use this platform to report a problem – whether violence against themselves, in any form, or against another child.”

The State Agency for Child Protection is also working with numerous non-governmental organisations to protect children from cybercrime.