Preventing early marriages and births is among the main priorities of state institutions and NGOs
On 27.10.2025 in Sofia, at a round table, the State Agency for Child Protection made the prevention of early marriages and births one of its main priorities, launching a national campaign against the phenomenon of “children giving birth to children.” At the meeting, doctors from the Pazardzhik hospital shared alarming statistics about two 11-year-old mothers and 20 more under the age of 14 for the current year alone.
Source: State Agency for Child Protection
“For the State Agency for Child Protection, dealing with the harmful phenomenon of ‘children giving birth to children’ is among the main priorities. In our country, there are two registered births of girls aged 11. This must stop! One of the main goals of the National Program for the Prevention of Violence and Abuse of Children, developed under the leadership and coordination of the Agency, is to change public attitudes towards early marriages and births completely,” said Dr. Teodora Ivanova, Chair of the State Agency for Child Protection, emphasizing the need for a change in public attitudes and recalling that the possibility of marriage for minors has already been abolished.
“33,159 children have been born to children in the past ten years. Last year alone, there were 2,837. On the one hand, we claim to live in a modern society. On the other hand, 14-year-olds are giving birth. This phenomenon has no place in a modern society,” said Minister of Labor and Social Policy Borislav Gutsanov.
At the round table, Katya Dimitrova
from the Amelipe Center also participated, presenting the good practice “Peer-to-Peer Education” – an initiative in which young people educate their peers about the harm of early marriages and the importance of education as a path to independence and development. The practice focuses on motivating young people to promote critical thinking and awareness through interactive activities and real-life examples. Minister Borislav Gutsanov and partners from UNICEF and other institutions called for a united effort by the state and society to end this harmful phenomenon.
Source: State Agency for Child Protection
Lieutenant Victoria Kovachka of the Bulgarian Army also participated in the event to share a good example. She emphasized that the family environment is extremely important. Before embarking on a successful career, Victoria graduated with honors from a humanities high school, then excelled at the Military University in Veliko Tarnovo, consistently ranking at the top in specialized training, orientation, and shooting competitions. “I am from the small village of Brezhani, and we are a family of six, but my parents always did their best and encouraged us to learn and develop. We knew from a young age that cigarettes were bad. That you can’t be absent from school,” she said. I owe my success to their support,” Victoria shared, adding that it is essential to find effective working mechanisms because all children should have the opportunity to learn and develop.
The round table meeting marked the start of a special campaign by the State Agency for Child Protection against early marriages. It is part of the State Agency for Child Protection’s large initiative against violence against children and among children, “Be brave, be good.”