[CLSTR]
< Back to situation

[REVISION HISTORY]

Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-18 14:16 UTC → 2026-09-18 14:23 UTC · added removed

The Bulgarian government is advancing legislative and organizational reforms to address rising juvenile crime and aggression. Central to the reform is the replacement of the Law on Combating Anti-Social Behavior of Minors and Juveniles, which officials noted has not seen significant updates since 1958. Minister of Labor and Social Policy Nataliya Efremova has characterized recent incidents of aggression as a ‘pandemic of violence,’ describing recent events as ‘shocking.’ To combat this, the government is developing a new National Program for the Prevention of Violence and Abuse of Children and a forthcoming National Strategy for the Child. Efremova emphasized that success requires coordinated efforts between government bodies, parents, and the non-governmental sector, while also aiming to restore public trust in social workers and the State Agency for Child Protection (DAZD). In the education sector, Minister of Education and Science Prof. Georgi Valchev has previously announced that a comprehensive package of measures to improve school discipline will be proposed for discussion within approximately ten days. This follows following reports that nearly 50 percent of students identify discipline issues and feel disadvantaged by peer behavior. The proposed package will include a mix of funded and ‘soft’ interventions designed to correct behavior rather than simply removing students from the system. While incentives for improved conduct are being considered, the potential introduction of formal discipline grades—a possibility raised by MP Fatima Yildiz—remains a polarizing societal issue. Following these announcements, issues. Building on this, Deputy Minister Tanya Pancheva introduced has formally proposed a specific framework focused on plan structured around four main primary pillars: prevention, early support, and a system of rewards and sanctions. This proposal includes the introduction Key components of a ‘personality development specialist’ (colloquially termed a discipline teacher) the Ministry’s proposal include enhanced institutional cooperation between schools, social services, health authorities, and local governments. The plan introduces a unified information system for children to facilitate early identification of students identify children at risk of dropping out. out and a ‘personal development map’ for students from grades I to XII to track strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, the Ministry intends to appoint a ‘personal development specialist’—potentially a pedagogue with psychological training—to work within schools. These proposals are intended for wide public discussion with teachers, parents, and experts, incorporating international and European expertise in inclusive education.

Versions

  1. 2026-09-18 14:23 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  2. 2026-09-18 14:16 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  3. 2026-09-03 07:23 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  4. 2026-09-03 02:52 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  5. 2026-09-01 13:59 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  6. 2026-08-19 15:33 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative and school reforms
  7. 2026-08-12 20:46 UTC Bulgarian juvenile crime legislative reforms

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.