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Zona ZaKrila

Specialized service model providing integrated and comprehensive support for child victims or witnesses of violence and their parents

Български
English

The mission of "Zona ZaKrila" is children who have suffered or are at risk of violence to have wings again, without bearing the severe consequences of trauma or feeling threatened by new aggression.

Violence against children is not an isolated phenomenon, it is everywhere - in every country, society and social group. Every 5 minutes, somewhere in the world, a child dies as a result of violence. The data from a nationally representative survey, conducted on behalf of UNICEF, show that 47 percent of children in Bulgaria, or every second child, has experienced some form of violence by the age of 18.

The data from the study show that:

Emotional abuse is the most common type (45.9%), followed by physical (31.2%), sexual abuse (15.6%) and neglect (10.5%).
One in seven children report being a victim of online bullying and stalking, especially on social media.
Violence is most often observed among children at school (38.3%), followed by that in the community (37.6%) and at home (30.9%).

Violence affects children's physical and mental health and development, as well as their ability to learn and build relationships with others and become independent and successful adults and parents.

UNICEF Bulgaria/2024

Current data on the situation on violence against children in Bulgaria:

In 2023, 25,709 calls were received on the National Helpline for Children 116,111. From January to September this year, the Line received over 19,300 calls, of which more than 1,400 were registered reports of violence against children.
In 2023, more than 45,000 reports of child abuse were received on the hotline of the National Center for Safer Internet. In the first nine months of 2024, National Center for Safer Internet registered over 293,000 reports of child sexual abuse and exploitation online.

On a national scale, there is a lack of specialized services for the prevention and response of violence against children to support them and their parents in recovering from trauma and violence, as well as to protect them from additional violence and abuse.

What is "Zona ZaKrila"?

UNICEF/2024

"Zona ZaKrila" is a model for comprehensive protection and support of children and their parents who have suffered or witnessed violence.

"Zona ZaKrila" is a model for comprehensive protection, which is provided in one place by a specialized and well-trained team and facilitates the efforts of all institutions to ensure the best interests of the child.

The model is innovative and was launched in 2015 and was piloted in 3 regions/districts of the country in partnership with the government, the Municipalities of Sofia, Shumen and Montana, the Institute for Social Activities and Practices (SAPI) and the Animus Association Foundation.

Since their inception, the three pilot centers have directly supported over 4,000 children and their parents.

To meet the ongoing needs for specialized victim support services across the country, UNICEF has been supporting the implementation of the model in new districts and municipalities since 2023.

The aim is to apply the model in existing social services and train specialists to apply the methodologies and standards of "Zona ZaKrila" through:

Training, supervision, advocacy, building a network for multidisciplinary and intersectoral work on cases of violence against children, developing a professional network and community of practitioners applying the "Zona Zakrila" model.

Currently, the model is being applied in a total of 11 districts in Bulgaria. In addition to the pilot services, which are already financed by the municipalities in Sofia, Shumen and Montana, the model is being developed in 8 new districts -

Kyustendil, Yambol, Varna, Vidin, Burgas, Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Stara Zagora

What kind of support is provided or how does "Zona ZaKrila" help?

The main support provided to children and parents is:

Individual assessment of the needs of the affected children;
Social, psychological and therapeutic support aimed at overcoming the trauma and consequences of violence;
Assistance in medical certification and access to the necessary health care;
Legal aid;
Child-friendly hearings in the "Blue Room" in order to avoid additional trauma to the child in the process of investigation and administration of justice, protecting his/her rights and best interests and at the same time ensuring the collection of complete and accurate information on a case;
Crisis intervention in case of urgent response.

For whom and how is the support provided?

The "Zona Zakrila" model provides a protected space in which children and parents can receive comprehensive and free support from competent and well-trained psychologists, social workers and lawyers, which is provided all in one place. The teams work in cooperation with the departments of child protection, the educational system, the police, the prosecution and the courts, facilitating the efforts of all institutions around the child to be in the best interests of the child.

The mission of "Zona ZaKrila" is for children who have suffered from violence to have wings again, without bearing the severe consequences of the trauma or feeling threatened by new aggression or violence.

Infographic Zona Zakrila — UNICEF Bulgaria/2024

The assistance provided by Zona ZaKrila is aimed at both children who have experienced violence and perpetrators of violence who need to work on models for dealing with anger and aggression. Support is also provided to parents who have suffered from violence, as well as to the whole family, to overcome the trauma of violence and move forward together.

What is the impact of "Zona ZaKrila"?

Since its inception, the first three pilot centers have directly supported over 4,000 children and their parents.

In 2019, an external independent evaluation of the "Zona ZaKrila" model was carried out. and the support provided by the pilot centres. The evaluation shows that the model is consistent with the national priorities of the Bulgarian government, meets the needs of children and families in Bulgaria and the services provided by the three pilot centers are effective, efficient and should be expanded on a national scale.

As part of the focus groups and interviews conducted during the external independent assessment, 100% of the children share that Zona ZaKrila has helped them feel better and overcome violence and trauma, and 86% of parents share that the centers have made it easier for their child to receive help and practical support.

For more information on the results of the assessment, see full text of the report.