New fines for parents leaving their children unattended

“Irresponsible parents who leave their children unattended and at risk will be fined by up to BGN 5 000, stipulates a new draft bill on child protection,” Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Valentina Simeonova announced yesterday on bTV. The new legislative act to be adopted requires adults not to leave their children under the age of 8 years alone, while the effective law stipulates penalties for leaving children younger than 12 in a dangerous situation. “The bill is almost ready. We hope to finalise it by the end of October,” said Simeonova. “There are many new provisions in the new law and this time the focus is not on children at risk alone but on all children,” specified the Deputy Social Minister, pointing to the clearly defined responsibilities of the institutions when a child is born.

“There will be an absolute ban and a fine of up to BGN 5,000 for doctors who advise mothers to leave their children because of innate health problems. In the presence of a psychologist and other professionals, the doctor should explain to the mother the exact problem,” specified Valentina Simeonova. The draft bill also includes an absolute ban to abandon children of up to 3 years of age in orphanages and a provision that they should go into foster care. Severe sanctions are stipulated for abandonment and neglect of children. “We are discussing with judges the possibility of imposing penalties on parents who abandon their children to pay allowances for their kids. In case they do not have money, the option is to engage them in socially useful labour. Thus, we hope to limit the existing cases of child abuse,” stated Simeonova.

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