Child trafficking represents a pervasive yet frequently underreported threat. Bulgaria, predominantly a country of origin, but also serving as a transit and destination country, faces significant challenges, with approximately 10% of all reported trafficking victims being children. In response to this issue, on 3 June 2025, the Center for the Study of Democracy brought together key stakeholders in the fields of child trafficking and children’s rights to discuss newly emerging challenges and possible ways to address them. The event also marked the official launch of the European initiative "SafeBorders: Strengthening Judicial Expertise and Frontline Support to Combat Child Trafficking", of which CSD is part, together with public authorities and civil society organizations from eight EU Member States.
The event commenced with an opening statement by Dimitar Markov, Director of CSD’s Law Program, who emphasized the Center’s longstanding engagement with the issue of human trafficking and reiterated its ongoing commitment to addressing it. This was followed by welcoming remarks from Mihaela Mechkunova, Deputy Minister of Justice, who underscored the Ministry's involvement in anti-trafficking efforts and stressed the need to strengthen further judicial capacity in handling trafficking cases.
Bozhidara Tsvetilova, an analyst at CSD, provided an overview of the SafeBorders initiative and outlined its planned activities over the next two years. She highlighted the initiative's practical focus, particularly its component dedicated to specialized training for prosecutors dealing with child trafficking cases.
Daniela Saveklieva, Secretary of the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, elaborated on the Commission’s central role in national efforts to address trafficking, especially concerning children. She outlined the existing legal framework and mechanisms for victim identification and prevention, reaffirming the Commission’s support for the SafeBorders initiative and its readiness to cooperate further in combating child trafficking in Bulgaria.
Kamelia Dimitrova, Founder and Executive Director of Dignita, presented key statistical data and stressed the urgent need for innovative research in the field of child trafficking. She discussed the common vulnerabilities that increase children’s risk of exploitation, the challenges faced by the national system, and proposed best practices and recommendations for overcoming current limitations.
The final session focused on a particularly innovative aspect of the SafeBorders initiative: the development of an AI system designed to uncover criminal networks involved in child trafficking and identify transnational trafficking patterns. This AI-based tool will aim to function both as a detection and prevention mechanism. Iliana Boycheva, an analyst at CSD, presented the technical features of the future system and highlighted the ethical considerations associated with using AI technologies to process sensitive data and the expected challenges in designing the tool.
The meeting concluded with a general discussion, which focused primarily on the implementation, sustainability, and practical application of the future AI system. Participants provided feedback and recommendations for enhancing the tool’s effectiveness, emphasizing its potential to significantly contribute to national and cross-border efforts to combat child trafficking.
