One in four Bulgarian women falls victim to domestic violence, and one in three has witnessed domestic violence or knows somebody who has been hurt by it. Victims are reluctant to look for help from the very beginning, hoping that things will get better with time. It’s for the children’s sake, is the most frequent answer of mothers asked why they have for so long tolerated a violent husband at home.

The Law on Domestic Violence took effect in April 2005. However, the court has ordered restrictive measures against violent spouses in only one-third of the cases.  The Step-by-Step Foundation, based in Sofia, works in support of domestic violence victims. For the time being, dozens of women from Sofia and the rest of Bulgaria have turned to social workers for help. Zdrava Vodenicharova clarifies the role of the social worker in domestic violence cases:

“The services that we offer to parents, seek to prevent the accommodation of a child in a social home, and support the parent-victim of domestic violence to continue with bringing children up on her own. Step-by-Step foundation delivers aid on the spot – in the home of the victim. Usually the families, who are on the lookout for such help, are in turmoil, both materially and socially. Their relationships have collapsed. Step by step we help them cope with the problems. In general the Bulgarian family is very introverted, and external interference is not welcome. We work very hard with the children in our day care center. Very often, while the child is in the day center, we work with the parents. By rule, violence grows out of the inability to resolve financial problems. After the family has split, a single parent seems unfit to take care of the children alone, and our support could be crucial.”


Cited in: Bulgarian National Radio, by Gergana Mantcheva. The full article is available HERE