Bulgaria, November 16, 2020
The National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the 10 Local Commissions in the country have launched a campaign to prevent trafficking in pregnant women in order to sell their newborn children. The campaign is run under the title "Trafficking pregnant women to sell their newborns is a crime!" and is implemented on the initiative and project of the Local Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Burgas, Association "Equilibrium" and the Municipality of Burgas.
Unfortunately, this form of trafficking is specific to the Bulgarian context, and according to the official data of the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, involvement in this type of trafficking is a very common form of crime in our country. The sale of babies from poor and especially socially isolated communities in Bulgaria is an increasingly used criminal way to tackle poverty. Through well-organized criminal groups and manipulators, young girls and women, mostly living in extreme poverty and illiteracy, give birth and sell their newborn children abroad.
The most common destination country for this type of traffic from Bulgaria is the Republic of Greece. The number of victims who testified in court is between 60 and 100 annually, but due to dependence and fears, many of the victimized women refuse to cooperate with the investigating authorities or refuse to participate as witnesses in criminal proceedings.
In order to raise public awareness of the mechanism of the crime and its consequences, with a special focus on vulnerable communities, the campaign will distribute a specially elaborated video telling a true story about a family forced to sell their newborn child. The presentation will be accompanied by informational meetings in the cities where the 10 local commissions operate.
IMPORTANT CONTACTS:
European emergency number - 112 - free, dial without code
National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings - + 359 2 807 80 50 (Mon – Fri 9 AM to 5PM),
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
National human trafficking resource line, Foundation “Campaign A21” - 0800 20 100
