The outgoing government adopted amendments to the Penal Code (PC), which provide for increased penalties for sexual offenses against individuals under the age of 10. The penalties for such crimes are drastically increased, with certain offenses now carrying sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
In addition, the amendments also include an increase in the statute of limitations for prosecuting perpetrators. The statute of limitations now begins to run not from the moment the crime was committed, but from the victim reaching the age of 18.
According to the outgoing Minister of Justice, Georgi Georgiev, the amendments are aimed at countering pedophilia and sexual assaults against children and young people. Georgiev pointed out that in the last two and a half years, nearly 700 reports of such crimes have been received, of which 434 were registered sexual offenses against children.