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Child protection: how to avoid getting into trouble
Natalia left her child in the car outside the airport while she went to check on an arriving flight. She was gone only a few minutes, but when she came back the police were already waiting for her. They asked why the car was parked in an unsuitable place, and how Natalia could leave a child under 12 alone.
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In Bulgaria, as in other EU countries, there is a child protection act (Закон за закрила на детето). It lists the main duties of parents/guardians towards children.
In particular, children under 12 may not be left without attention and care if this could create a danger to the child’s physical, mental and moral development. Until they turn 12, children must not be on the street or in other potentially dangerous places alone – only with adults (parents, guardians, etc.). Breaking this rule will attract the attention of the police and can lead to serious problems. It should also be remembered that the Family Code in Bulgaria obliges parents to exercise constant supervision over children under 14.
In addition, children under 14 must be accompanied in public places after 8 p.m., and children aged 14 to 18 after 10 p.m. If the parents are unable to do this, they must provide the child with an adult, legally capable chaperone.
The law also prohibits children from taking part in advertising for genetically modified goods and in radio and television programmes that are unfavourable or dangerous from the point of view of the child’s physical, mental, moral and social development. These points, however, are no longer relevant to everyone.
So it is important for parents in Bulgaria to understand how, when and where a child can be left without the risk of getting into trouble. Here it should be noted that the law does not clearly state what is meant by danger to a child – everything depends on interpretation. Obviously, in most cases the police are guided by common sense and do not arrest parents who have left a child for a couple of minutes in a comfortable car interior. That is exactly what happened in the story we told above: Natalia explained to the police that she had stepped out for just a couple of minutes, and the officers made no claims against her. But if it is a matter of hours rather than minutes, the consequences can be far more unpleasant.
Child protection in Bulgaria is handled by the State Agency for Child Protection and the Social Assistance Directorate. Representatives of these organisations respond to every report of possible violence against children or of children’s lives being put at risk, and take measures. Exactly what measures depends on the situation. If a child’s life, health or mental state is in danger, the child may be removed from the family. Removal from the family is also possible if the parents are systematically unable or unwilling to care for the child.
Foreign nationals in Bulgaria have the same duties towards their children as Bulgarians do, as is also established by law in other European countries. There are many known cases of fines being imposed or children being removed from foreigners in EU countries. So children should not be left alone even briefly, especially small children and especially after dark, and teenagers should not be allowed out in the evening unaccompanied. Carelessness can lead to unpleasant situations that are not easy to get out of.
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