More than 60 victims of human trafficking were formally or informally identified in Bulgaria during the first six months of 2026, with 17 of the victims being children under the age of 18, senior expert at the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (NCCTHB) Vanya Georgieva told BTA on Tuesday during the Escape Truck prevention initiative in Lovech.
By comparison, a total of 89 victims of human trafficking were formally or informally identified throughout 2025.
The Escape Truck initiative is coming to Bulgaria for the second consecutive year. It is part of the European route of Escape Truck and is aimed primarily at young people. Through an interactive format, it seeks to familiarize them with the mechanisms used to draw people into trafficking and exploitation, as well as ways of recognizing the risks.
“Last year, the truck came from the Netherlands for the first time and received a very positive response – around 1,500 young people went through the interactive room on wheels. The aim is to prepare them, as far as possible, to recognize the risks,” Georgieva said. So far, more than 600 participants, mainly teenagers aged between 12 and 18, have taken part in the Escape Truck, while many more have registered for the remaining locations.
According to NCCTHB data, alerts about labour exploitation have also increased in recent years, particularly involving third-country nationals who come to work in Bulgaria. This is often due to discrepancies in employment contracts or a lack of understanding of the language, Georgieva explained.
There are also alerts about Bulgarian nationals who have found themselves in situations of labour or sexual exploitation. These are the two most common forms of trafficking for which people seek assistance and about which alerts reach the NCCTHB.
Georgieva urged young people planning to work or live abroad to carefully check the offers they receive. “If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true. If someone is pressuring them to leave quickly, promising them an excessively high salary or exceptionally good working conditions, that should be a warning sign that something may be wrong,” she said.
Georgieva also advised young people to be careful about the information they post on social media, as traffickers specifically look for such information and act when people are vulnerable in order to target their victims.
More than 60 Trafficking Victims Identified in Bulgaria in 2026, 17 are Children 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-29 13:13:07
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news. Bulgaria news, Bulgarian news, news from Bulgaria, latest news Bulgaria, breaking news Bulgaria, Bulgaria today, Bulgarian politics, Bulgarian government. Bulgarian economy, Bulgarian business, Bulgarian society, Bulgarian culture, Bulgarian tourism, Bulgarian sports, Bulgarian media, Bulgarian parliament. Sofia news, Plovdiv news, Varna news, Burgas news, Ruse news, Stara Zagora news, Pleven news, Sliven news. Dobrich news, Shumen news, Pernik news, Haskovo news, Yambol news, Pazardzhik news, Blagoevgrad news, Veliko Tarnovo news. Vratsa news, Gabrovo news, Asenovgrad news, Vidin news, Bulgarian local news, Bulgaria current affairs, Bulgaria breaking news, Bulgaria headlines. Balkan news, Southeast Europe news, Bulgarian international news, Bulgaria world news, Bulgarian elections, Bulgaria events, Bulgaria analysis, Bulgaria updates.Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law.
BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-09-29 13:13:07
