FEMICIDE = MURDERED FOR BEING A WOMAN
The killing of a woman because she is a woman is called femicide. Unlike the gender-neutral term “murder,” femicide highlights the connection between gender-based discrimination and fatal violence against women.
This website provides detailed statistics from Bulgarian case law on killings of women that fall within the definition of “femicide,” and maintains regular media monitoring of such cases.
Here you will also find useful information on how the law defines “domestic violence” and “gender-based violence,” who can seek help and how, as well as who can provide support in such situations. The texts have been prepared by experts with experience in violence prevention and in supporting people who have faced violence.
The Project Mapping the Murders of Women in Bulgaria 2018-2023 by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee supplements the statistics on femicides drawn from the case law of all regional courts in Bulgaria. The interactive map contains data covering the period from 2012 to 2023.
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What does the law say?Violence can be physical, sexual, psychological, emotional or economic. It does not have to be extreme – the attempt at such violence, the forced restriction of privacy, personal freedom and personal rights also fall into the category of “violence“. For it to be “domestic“ according to the text of the laws, it must be committed against relatives, as well as against people who are or have been in a family relationship or in de facto cohabitation on a family basis. |
Child abuseChild abuse is specifically described. It is an act that results in actual or potential harm to the health, life, development or dignity of a child. It can be physical, psychological or sexual abuse, neglect, commercial or other exploitation. It can occur in family, school and social settings.Any domestic violence committed in the presence of a child is considered psychological and emotional abuse of a child. |
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Gender-based violence"Gender-based" is violence directed against a person because of their gender. Not every act of gender-based violence is considered a crime in Bulgaria. However, it can often be a crime punishable under the general law (for example, systematic surveillance, bodily harm, murder, etc.). |
Media monitoringThe Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, together with other activists, systematically collects information on cases of intentional killings of women by men in Bulgaria, as reported in online media publications. This activity began in 2018, with the data first published on ubita.org and later on spasena.org. At present, it is carried out as part of the project Mapping the Murders of Women in Bulgaria 2018-2023. The list presented here is based on media monitoring and refers to journalistic materials covering specific fatal cases. The list does not claim to be exhaustive, and the actual number of women killed is likely higher. The information is updated periodically. |
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About Spasena.orgThis website and the information it contains are maintained under the project Mapping the Murders of Women in Bulgaria 2018-2023, with the financial support of the Bulgarian Fund for Women and the European Union. It was initially created in 2018 under the domain ubita.org by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, in response to the systematic neglect by the authorities of violence against women and its most extreme form — femicide. In 2021, the website was renamed spasena.org, and in partnership with the Alliance for Protection against Gender-Based Violence (AZNOP), we expanded its objectives and messages to transform it into a platform supporting anyone facing domestic violence or gender-based violence. |
