Bulgaria's Child Protection Agency Reports Increase in Children Seeking Asylum

The number of children, citizens of third countries, who have sought asylum protection in 2013, tends to increase, compared to statistics for 2012, according to reports of the State Agency for Child Protection.

Bulgaria's child protection authority published statistics to mark World Refugee Day.

In 2012, the State Agency for Child Protection worked on 34 cases of unattended under-age children and minors - 12 from Afghanistan, 7 from Syria and Iraq each, 2 from Algeria and Somalia each, and 1 child from Libya, Congo, Pakistan and Rwanda each.

The cases of unaccompanied children from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria are on the rise.

The State Agency For Child Protection worked on 72 cases of children-refugees in the first quarter of 2013, 65 boys and 7 girls between 14 and 18 years of age.  Nine of them were minors.

The children have been accommodated at the Registration - Reception center of the State Agency for Children Protection, waiting to be granted refugee status.

Nationality statistics for the 72 children shows 17 children aged up to 14 and 5 children aged 14-18 from Afghanistan; 13 children aged 14-18 from Mali; 11 children from Syria; 7 children from Algeria; 4 children from Congo; 6 children aged 14-18 and 3 children aged up to 14 from Iraq; 5 children aged 14-18 without citizenship from Palestine and Syria; 2 children from Morocco, and 3 children aged 14-18 from Nigeria, Eritrea, Rwanda and Ivory Coast.

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