Bulgarian Fund for Women Launches Campaign in Support of Domestic Violence Victims

The Bulgarian Fund for Women (BFW) is launching a national campaign, “Care at Any Cost,” dedicated to combating domestic violence and supporting women and children who have been affected, the organization said

The initiative begins just days before the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 and will continue until March 8, 2026. As part of “Care at Any Cost,” the fund is organizing an information and donation campaign, as well as a series of events aimed at raising public awareness and collecting funds for crisis centers that provide temporary shelter and assistance to victims.

The donation campaign will be open from November 17 to March 8, 2026, by texting DMS SILA to 17 777 or by donating through Platformata.bg.

On November 25, the Fund will take part in a protest march “Not One More” on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On December 10, the fund’s conference “Between Statistics and Reality: Domestic Violence in Bulgaria Beyond the Numbers” will take place at the House of Europe, in partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). At the event, the agency will present up-to-date data on the scale of domestic violence in Bulgaria, and together with politicians, diplomats, and frontline organizations working on the issue, participants will analyze the effects of legislative changes and opportunities for better protection and support.

The Bulgarian Fund for Women notes that in 2025, 22 women have lost their lives at the hands of a partner or another close man, and in 2024, at least 20. More than 53,000 reports were filed to the emergency number 112 in 2024, and over half of them required emergency medical intervention. More than 2,500 crimes related to domestic violence were registered in 2024 – an increase of over 65% compared to 2023.

There is still no national statistics database for domestic violence cases in Bulgaria, even though its creation was mandated at the beginning of 2024 with the amendments to the Protection against Domestic Violence Act, the fund adds.

A sociological survey, conducted in June on the needs and attitudes of domestic violence survivors, shows that 74% of victims believe state institutions turn a blind eye to violence, and 70% disagree with the statement that those affected by violence are adequately protected.