Over 33,000 Children Have Been Born to Underage Mothers in Bulgaria over the Past Decade

More than 33,000 children have given birth in Bulgaria over the past ten years, and nearly 2,800 underage girls became mothers just last year. The State Agency for Child Protection has now prepared an action plan targeting cities with the highest rates of early marriages and teenage pregnancies.

Sliven, Stara Zagora, Plovdiv, and Pazardzhik are among the cities where the number of “children giving birth to children” remains highest. In the Pazardzhik hospital alone, 67 babies have been born to underage mothers since the beginning of the year.

“Out of around 600 births a year, 10% being underage is a serious figure. The youngest was a 12-year-old, which was shocking — she gave birth last March, while her own mother was pregnant with her fifth child,” said Dr. Anna Gevorgyan, head of the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at Pazardzhik Hospital.

Monitoring pregnancies among minors, doctors say, has become a real challenge.

“These girls often leave hospital without permission, skip antenatal check-ups, and are terrified of injections. Labour for them is extremely traumatic — you can imagine how a child reacts to such pain,” Dr. Gevorgyan added.

In most cases, the fathers are adult men.

“We often need interpreters because many of them don’t speak Bulgarian. The mothers of these girls usually tell us, ‘Doctor, you know how it is with us — we marry young,’” she explained.

According to Teodora Ivanova, Chair of the State Agency for Child Protection, cultural traditions cannot excuse child marriages or early motherhood:

“It’s very difficult for state measures to work when people consider this part of their custom or tradition. But the fact is, in recent years, almost no prosecutor’s ruling cites ‘Roma tradition’ as justification anymore.”

Prosecutors’ data show that 569 people were convicted or fined in 2024 for cohabiting with underage girls. In the first half of 2025 alone, 262 people have already been penalised for the same offence.

“The children are not to blame — we adults are, including their families,” Ivanova stressed.

Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, also commented:

“The most important thing is that these children have access to education and healthcare. Without education, we cannot expect them to think or act differently.”

In Sliven, experts report a gradual decline in pregnancies among adolescents.

“When I advise young mothers to delay another pregnancy, their mothers-in-law and even their own mothers now often support me,” said Nikolina Dimova, a community nurse at UNICEF’s Centre for Maternal and Child Health in Sliven.

However, challenges persist.

“Many come back from abroad already pregnant. They avoid registering with doctors and prefer to pay for private visits. They’re afraid of institutions and yet always find ways to bypass them,” said Dr. Mariana Marcheva, head of the maternity ward at a private gynaecological hospital.

The State Agency for Child Protection has identified a clear action plan to tackle the issue in regions where adolescent births are most prevalent, focusing on prevention, education, and stronger institutional cooperation.

"Against the backdrop of 600 births a year, do the math yourself. 10% is a serious percentage to be minors. The youngest was 12 years old. It was last March-April, but that's startling. a 12-year-old who was giving birth and her mother was pregnant with her fifth child at the time," said Dr. Anna Gevorgyan, head of the AGO, Pazardzhik Hospital.

Tracking pregnancies in children is becoming a real challenge.

"These children leave the hospital on their own. They don't go to women's consultation, they are afraid of injections. Childbirth is a nightmare for them, because you understand that it hurts the child how it reacts," said Dr. Anna Gevorgyan.

In most cases, the fathers of the children born are adult men.

"Most of the time we need an interpreter because they don't speak English. And the mother of the childbirth says, 'Doctor, you know it's like that with us - we marry young,'" said Dr. Anna Gevorgyan.

"It's a very difficult measure for the state to work when someone considers that this is part of his tradition, his custom. The fact is that in recent years there has been almost no decree of the District Prosecutor's Office saying that this was the Roma tradition," said Theodora Ivanova, chairwoman of the SACP.

According to the prosecutor's office, 569 people were convicted and sentenced for cohabitation with an underage girl in 2024. In the first half of 2025, 262 people were punished for this crime.

"Children are not guilty. We adults are to blame, including their family circle," said Theodora Ivanova.

"The most important thing, in my opinion, is that they have access to education, access to healthcare. If there is no education, we cannot expect these children to have a different way of thinking," said Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy.

In Sliven, specialists say there are fewer children giving birth.

"When I start telling a young mother to wait for the next pregnancy, very often both the mother-in-law and her mother already support me," said Nikolina Dimova, a patronage nurse at Unicef's Centre for Maternal and Child Health in Sliven.

"They come more often from abroad. They already got pregnant there. They don't want to make cards. They want to pay for their checkups, I don't agree. They are afraid of the institutions and at the same time they find a way around them," said Dr. Mariana Marcheva, head of the maternity ward at a private gynecological hospital.

The Child Protection Agency has set out a clear plan of action in the cities where most children give birth.