Labour and social policy minister Natalia Efremova told parliament that a report about a boy dangled from a balcony by his father in Vratsa does not match what the authorities found. Their check showed a row between two adults, with no sign that a child was involved, and no need for protection measures.
Efremova was answering a question about a story on a local news site on 15 September. It claimed the boy was 9 years old and was held over the edge of a balcony on the ninth floor.
After the story ran, the child protection unit in Vratsa acted on its own and contacted the Interior Ministry. Police say the district police department in Vratsa got a call about a family row at 11pm on 13 September, and officers went to the address at once. Both adults received formal warnings.
The minister said the row was between the father and the child's maternal grandfather. Neither police nor social services found that the child was there. "Neither the Interior Ministry nor social services found any sign that the child witnessed the conflict between the adults," she said.
The unit looked into the case, and the report turned out to concern a family with a 2-year-old child. Social workers went to the address at once and saw that the child was in good general and emotional health. They spoke to the parents and other family members and advised them on what extra support they can get.
They also spoke to the child's family doctor, the nursery the child attends and the emergency centre in the city. No one has filed a report about the child, and the unit had no earlier ones. The parents have been separated since August, and the mother and child live in the home of her parents. The check found that the parents get on well and the child is growing up in a suitable setting.
Efremova said she checked the information herself several times and spoke to local officials. "Yesterday I checked the story again – suddenly the child is now 3 years old," she said.
The minister said officials found no risk to the child's physical, mental or emotional development. Violence against children is one of the worst breaches of their rights, she said, and every child has the right to protection from methods that harm their dignity. Protecting children at risk is among the ministry's most important tasks, she added, but parents carry the main duty for a child's upbringing and emotional state. The state, through its child protection bodies, cannot stand aside when parents put their children's lives, health or safety at risk by what they do or fail to do. It is also important that people know more about all forms of violence against children and react more sensitively.
Efremova said it is unacceptable to put out false claims on sensitive subjects, because unchecked information can harm a child.