The Bulgarian Hotline processed 10 000 reports in 2019.

2019 was another successful year for the Bulgarian Safer Internet Centre’s Hotline. During the year, the Hotline processed nearly 10 000 reports about illegal and harmful to children online content, contacts, and conduct online. The Hotline processed 9 289 reports, out of which 9 125 were about child sexual abuse material online and another 12 concerned sexual grooming of a child online. 1 412 of the reports, traced to Bulgaria, were transmitted for investigation to the Cybercrime Unit of the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime. 7 711 of the reports were transferred to partner Hotlines members of INHOPE. It is worth noting that some 70% of the reports were received from the other INHOPE hotlines.

Besides working on reports, the Hotline staff participated in the Cyberscout Training Programme. This programme has been running for 5 years and in 2017 was awarded as one of the 10 best practices by the European Crime Prevention Network. In 2019, more than 860 pupils aged 11-12 years from 42 schools around the country passed two-day extensive trainings on online risks, ways of prevention, and reporting. After the training, the pupils formed their squads, prepared, and conducted various awareness initiatives involving another 1 000 their peers. The 3 best cyberscout squads received special certificates for excellence from the Cybercrime Unit during the Safer Internet Day national event. Over the years, cyberscouts have also been reporting to the Hotline suspected sexual grooming cases and profiles in social networks and advising their peers how to protect themselves and to report to the Hotline.

The full Public report of the Bulgarian SIC for 2019 can be seen here.