Society and institutions have failed in caring for children and youth. This was stated by the Ombudsman of Bulgaria Velislava Delcheva on the air of “Your Day” on NOVA NEWS, commenting on the tragic case in Blagoevgrad. “There are children who die from drugs, are beaten with scooters, are in prison. All this means that each of us has failed and we have failed as a society”, said Delcheva.
According to her, coordinated work between institutions is necessary in order to find solutions to the problems among young people. She announced that she had a conversation with the Minister of Justice, in which she again insisted that the Law on Combating Antisocial Behavior of Minors and Juveniles be completely revised. “This law must be repealed and completely rewritten, because it needs new thinking. We cannot punish children, but we must gain their trust”, Delcheva emphasized. According to her, it is important that harmful addictions among young people be replaced with positive models and activities.
The Ombudsman also commented on the recent floods in Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Sevlievo and Dryanovo. “There are no victims, but every year we have news related to floods. This means that we are not planning well”, she said. According to her, local authorities are responding adequately, but the state must also actively support municipalities. Delcheva specified that the Ombudsman's institution has not received any complaints from citizens regarding the floods over the weekend.
She also touched on the problem with the renovation of the psychiatric hospital in Sevlievo, financed under the Recovery and Sustainability Plan. “After renovations for over 1.4 million leva, I came across mold, moisture and falling plaster. At first I wondered if this was even after renovations”, the Ombudsman commented.
According to the director of the medical facility, construction activities began last year, but the work is not being carried out regularly and qualitatively. “What is worrying is that the psychiatric hospital does not have a fire extinguishing system”, Delcheva warned.
The Ombudsman also commented on the proposals for changes to the Judiciary Act, according to which the institution could request the resignation of the Prosecutor General. “This proposal is beyond any legal logic. The Ombudsman is an independent and autonomous body that should not have any contact with either the executive or the judiciary”, said Delcheva.
She added that there are already proposals to drop this idea from the discussed changes.