A focus group to study the attitudes of police officers on the topic of domestic violence in the Sliven district

On February 6, 2020, Animus Association Foundation, together with the Society and Safety Foundation, organized a focus group to study the attitudes of police officers with 15 police officers from the region of Sliven. During the focus group, employees shared that between 2015 and 2019 there was an increase in the number of domestic violence cases, which decreased in 2019. They explain it by saying that people dared to seek more support as a result of the publicity given by the media, rather than by increasing the number of cases. Victims usually go directly to the police departments and seek help. In some cases, they call 112. According to them, domestic violence is a personal / family problem and the most common reasons for victims not looking for help are the lack of support within the family. In addition, there is no crisis center in the region of Sliven that could help the victim find temporary escape.

We would like to thank the director of Community Support Centre in Sliven Ms. Popova  for the support in the implementation of the project activities.

This publication is created with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria under the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of Animus Association Foundation and under no circumstances can it be considered that this document reflects an official statement of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area and the Operator – Active Citizens Fund Bulgaria.