Stronger Together: Access to Rights and Empowerment

In Bulgaria, 2,800 children and young people currently live in residential social services (including family-type accommodation centres) as of the end of 2024, according to data from the Agency for Social Assistance. Overall, around 10,000 children in the country live in some form of alternative care.

Behind these numbers are thousands of personal stories,  life paths shaped without the support of a stable family environment. For many young people, this increases vulnerability during one of the most challenging periods of life: adolescence. The lack of a safe environment, supportive adults, and access to reliable information significantly raises the risk of exploitation, including trafficking for sexual exploitation.

This is where our work begins, in the intersection between institutional care, vulnerability, and gender-based violence.

This year, Dignita launches the project “Stronger Together: Access to Rights and Empowerment”, part of the “FORCE” Programme of the Bulgarian Fund for Women. The project targets women who have experienced trafficking or other forms of modern slavery and who need protection, legal and social support for recovery and reintegration. It also includes girls aged 13–17 who are vulnerable to exploitation, including those growing up in residential care.

Our goal is clear: to reduce vulnerability to trafficking for sexual exploitation by combining research, direct support, professional training, and advocacy. We work simultaneously with individuals at risk and with the systems responsible for their protection.

Project start: November 2024
Implementation period: 22 months
Funding program: “FORCE”, Bulgarian Fund for Women

What We Aim to Achieve

• Identification of risk factors and systemic gaps in the protection of vulnerable groups.
• Counselling, information and referral to services for women who have experienced trafficking or other forms of modern slavery, as well as girls aged 13–17 at risk of exploitation.
• Capacity-building for professionals working in residential child care services to better identify and prevent risks.
• Development of recommendations to improve institutional practices and policies.

Expected Impact

We expect earlier identification of risk and fewer missed warning signs of exploitation. We expect frontline professionals in residential services to have greater knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to respond effectively and in a timely manner. We expect girls at risk to gain access to information, support, and real alternatives before exploitation becomes their reality.

In the long term, we aim to strengthen the ability of state residential services to better protect young people from trafficking risks. At the same time, women who have experienced exploitation will have improved access to protection, legal remedies, and meaningful social reintegration.

Our Approach

Access to rights is at the core of our work. We support women and girls through a trauma-informed, non-stigmatising approach that respects their dignity and choices.

We believe that sustainable empowerment begins when a woman has access to information, support, and a real opportunity to exercise her rights. Systemic change is only possible when we work at both individual and institutional levels where decisions are made and protection must be guaranteed.

This project is implemented with the financial support of Bulgarian Fund for Women. The project does not reflect the opinion of BFW and BFW is not responsible for it.