Over the past two decades, the organisation has contributed to positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children and adults, managing 9 social services and becoming the largest NGO provider of residential care for children with disabilities in Bulgaria. It also provides more than 11,000 hours of specialised therapy annually to children and young people.

What began as an initiative of a few like-minded individuals, united by the desire to change the lives of children with disabilities, is today an organisation with an established place in the social sphere and making a real contribution to the development of a more supportive and accepting environment in Bulgaria.

The organisation also took part in the event at the European Parliament hosted by Hristo Petrov, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Working Group on the European Child Guarantee, which was organised in partnership with Eurochild.

Discover the projects and achievements of the foundation in their annual report below!

Read the full report

Child sexual abuse online is among the most severe violations of a child’s bodily integrity and private life. When images or videos of abuse are created, shared or stored online, the violation does not end with the abuse itself. Each viewing, download or rediscovery repeats the harm. For victims and survivors, the continued online circulation of abusive material means their privacy, safety and dignity are violated again and again, sometimes decades later.

Despite this, public debate around children’s rights online and the proposed EU Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse is too often framed as a stark choice between child safety and privacy. This framing is not only misleading; it is fundamentally incompatible with the human rights framework that guides European law and international obligations. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) recognises both children’s right to protection from all forms of violence and exploitation, and their right to privacy. Children’s rights are interconnected, indivisible, and interrelated and must be balanced considering their best interests, not traded off against one another.

What Frontline organisations tell us

Across Europe, organisations working directly with children see the growing scale and complexity of online harms. Eurochild’s project ‘Evidence to Protect’ developed together with its members, the Estonian Union for Child Welfare and The Smile of the Child in Greece, has highlighted shared risks despite very different national contexts.

Data from Greece and Estonia shows a worrying rise in both named and anonymous reports of child abuse. Behind every report lies a real child with a real experience. Yet sexual abuse remains profoundly underreported in both countries, meaning official figures likely represent only a fraction of the harm taking place.

The types of online risks affecting children and related to digital technologies in these countries include sexual abuse and grooming, the non‑consensual sharing of intimate images, sexual extortion, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful or inappropriate content. In addition, these risks are increasingly facilitated by emerging technologies and AI. Importantly, data collection systems remain fragmented, and even when data exists, it is often difficult to access it and use it to target interventions, with figures sometimes shared only verbally.

In both Estonia and Greece, a clear pattern emerges: reported risk increases with age, rising steadily through primary school years and peaking in early adolescence. This makes teenage years a critical window for prevention and intervention.

Gender differences are evident, with girls consistently more affected across most categories, although the overall age trend is more pronounced than gender differences alone.

If we look at the broader European Union, evidence clearly shows that the problem extends far beyond Estonia and Greece, affecting children on the continent at an unprecedented scale. Analysts have documented a dramatic surge in child sexual abuse material worldwide, driven in part by the rapid spread of photo-realistic AI-generated abuse. Additionally, reports of online grooming and sexual exploitation are rising sharply, with hundreds of thousands of cases recorded annually and abusive images shared at a relentless pace.

Why Europe Cannot Afford Inaction

Europe plays a central role in this crisis: in 2025, EU Member States hosted more than 60% of all identified child sexual abuse websites. Public awareness of the scale of harm is growing, with large majorities of citizens across several European countries calling for stronger regulation and proactive measures by online platforms.

As of 3 April 2026, a critical EU legislative gap exists regarding the detection of child sexual abuse material online. If companies detect and report child sexual abuse material, they risk breaching EU law; however, if they do not report, abuse continues undetected without any possibility for prevention and prosecution. Fewer reports mean fewer victims identified and fewer children protected. The proposed 2022 Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse aims to close this gap through a balanced, proportionate framework with strong safeguards. It includes risk-based assessments, targeted, necessary and time-limited detection measures, case-by-case judicial authorisation, national oversight, and privacy-preserving technologies.

Given the urgency of the situation and the legislative gap, negotiations on the Regulation should advance steadily. Protecting children online does not mean giving up privacy, and vice versa. It means understanding that privacy is a cornerstone of safety, dignity and justice for every child. Upholding both child safety and secure communication is not optional; it’s a legal and moral responsibility for every decision maker in Europe.

10 years of cooperation, between achievements and new challenges. Event by the International Rescue Committee.

How can trafficking survivors be better identified and protected in asylum procedures? BeFree will share their best practices in this field as well as remaining challenges in the field. Finally, it will examine the impact of the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum on identification, assistance, and protection. At the end, there will be time for questions and discussion among participants on potential strategies.

This webinar is organised within the framework of the EU-funded project REACH (Resilience through Enhanced Access to Comprehensive Help). REACH responds to the need for support and protection for victims/survivors of sexual violence in the context of exploitation and human trafficking by bridging the gap between victims/survivors and support services.

The presentation will be held in English. Live captions are available in French, Spanish, German, Italian, and English.

Please register here

Eurochild welcomes the European Commission’s first EU Anti-Poverty Strategy as an important political step towards a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to preventing and reducing poverty across the life course.

However, while the Strategy recognises child poverty as a key concern, its approach to children remains more limited than the comprehensive rights-based framework set out in the European Child Guarantee Strengthening Communication.

Read our full position

Tirana, 14 May 2026 – PINK Embassy Albania and its partners officially opened today the 17th edition of the Festival of Diversity, the largest national platform in Albania promoting equality, diversity and respect for LGBTIQ+ people, linking this year’s festival with Albania’s European integration process and the protection of fundamental rights.

As part of the Festival and the activities marking the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT), PINK Embassy Albania organised on 14 May 2026 in Tirana the High-Level Dialogue: “EU Interim Benchmarks and LGBTIQ+ Rights in Albania”, in partnership with the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sex Characteristics (SOGIESC) Unit of the Council of Europe.

The event takes place at an important moment for Albania’s accession process to the European Union, where progress under Cluster 1 – Fundamentals, particularly Chapters 23 and 24, remains decisive for advancing negotiations with the EU.

The Dialogue brought together key representatives of the Albanian Government, Parliament, independent institutions, civil society organisations, international organisations and human rights experts to discuss Albania’s progress and the challenges that remain in fulfilling the EU interim benchmarks on fundamental rights and non-discrimination.

The meeting opened with the presentation of the main findings of PINK Embassy’s new report: “EU Interim Benchmarks and LGBTIQ+ Rights in Albania”, which analyses Albania’s progress in areas such as protection from discrimination, combating hate speech and hate crimes, access to justice, institutional accountability and the protection of fundamental freedoms.

This year, the Festival of Diversity and the IDAHOT activities aim not only to celebrate diversity and inclusion, but also to strengthen Albanian’s commitment to equality, dignity and the protection of human rights in line with the standards of the Council of Europe. These values are to Europe and an integral part of Albania’s path towards membership in the European Union.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred within occupied territory or unlawfully deported to Russia. Over two thousand have returned from the occupied territory or Russia, but many more remain far from their family and homes. Over one million Ukrainian children remain under occupation, enduring continuous risks, coercion, and violations of their fundamental rights.

On 30 April 2026, the Bring Kids Back UA team hosted the first Civil Society and Expert Day in Kyiv, bringing together organisations and experts working on the return and reintegration of Ukrainian children, accountability for abductions, and children’s participation in peace processes. Ahead of the event, the Ukrainian Child Rights Network and partners prepared a joint statement for Members of the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, which was officially presented during the Coalition’s High-Level Meeting in Brussels on 11 May 2026.

In view of years of efforts aimed at returning Ukrainian children, the Ukrainian organisations identifying, returning, and reintegrating affected children, and ensuring accountability for these crimes, call on Coalition Members to:

• Continue political and economic pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return of all Ukrainian children;
• Adopt and uphold sanctions against individuals and entities involved in violations against Ukrainian children, building up coordination of sanctions regimes among Coalition Members;
• Develop and implement a coordinated Road Map for Coalition Members;
• Provide explicit and sustainable support to the International Criminal Court;
• Strengthen and expand the use of legal mechanisms to protect affected children;
• Monitor and facilitate the implementation of the Resolution;
• Prioritise consistent support for established initiatives;
• Establish comprehensive international protection and safety for civil society workers and volunteers;
• Undertake concrete measures to prevent, document, and respond to persecution, detention, violence, and other forms of pressure against civil society actors;
• Ensure sustained, long-term assistance for the reintegration of Ukrainian children;
• Invest in the capacity of Ukrainian communities to protect and support children;
• Create platforms for dialogue.

Read the full joint statement

• sustainable investment in guardianship systems;
• harmonised training standards and professional support;
• stronger legal clarity and procedural safeguards;
• child-centred and inclusive approaches;
• improved coordination, digitalisation and data management;
• enhanced cooperation and mutual recognition mechanisms across borders. 

The recommendations are the result of extensive research, legal analysis and multi-stakeholder consultations conducted throughout the GUIDE Project. They draw on national assessments, National roundtables, EU-level roundtables, and cross-country exchanges involving experts, child protection professionals, guardians, civil society organisations, policymakers and researchers.

Downloads:

• Recommendations
  EU (English version)
  Bulgaria (Bulgarian version / English version)
  Greece (Greek version / English version)
  Italy (Italian version / English version)
  Poland (Polish version / English version)
  Slovakia (Slovakian version / English version)
  

Tables: EU; Bulgaria; Greece; Italy; Poland; Slovakia

On 6 May 2026, the European Commission published the first-ever EU Anti-Poverty Strategy, marking a long-awaited milestone in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. In its initial assessment, the Coalition on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy acknowledges the positive developments and important commitments in the Strategy. However, it also raises serious concerns about the apparent lack of a long-term approach and adequate resources needed to achieve the Commission’s objective of eradicating poverty by 2050.

In 2025, at least 92.7 million people in the EU were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, representing around 20.9% of the EU population. This is 600,000 fewer people than 2024. While these figures mark a slight improvement, the newly published Eurostat data once again show insufficient progress in fighting poverty and social exclusion. 

Against this backdrop, the Coalition on the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy welcomes the efforts the Commission has undertaken in developing the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy launched on 6 May 2026, as it constitutes the first-ever EU-level strategy dedicated to the eradication of poverty, with the ambition to achieve this goal by 2050. 

Among the promising elements outlined in the Strategy, we note, in particular:

• The commitment to scale up cooperation of the Commission with people experiencing poverty, 
• The acknowledgement of the impact of poverty throughout the life cycle, with particular attention to children, young people, and older persons, and how these stages are interwoven within the family unit, 
• The connections between the Anti-Poverty Strategy and the strengthened European Child Guarantee, including the measures proposed in the latter text published on the same day, confirming that the fight against child poverty is a fundamental pillar of the EU social agenda, 
• The announcement of a Commission Recommendation providing evidence-based policy guidance to prevent and combat in-work poverty across the EU, and the recognition throughout the text that quality jobs are key but can only help those who can work, 
• Along the same lines, the acknowledgement that an active inclusion approach is central to addressing poverty, based on its three pillars: adequate income support, access to quality goods and services, and inclusive access to the labour market,
• The recognition of the need to combat discrimination and stigma, which contribute to deepening poverty, and exposing more to social exclusion groups such as women, racialised communities and ethnic minorities including Roma, LGBTIQ+ people, people with disabilities, and children.
• The opening of new avenues to better address homelessness and housing exclusion through the proposed Council Recommendation on Housing Exclusion and the continuation of the EU Platform on Combating Homelessness,
• The publication of guidelines to EU member states to step up local and national anti-poverty strategies, and the appointment of national Anti-Poverty Coordinators at the highest political level, 
• The willingness to open a conversation on the way poverty is measured, as current indicators fail to adequately capture the reality of many marginalised groups.

However, several of our demands are left unanswered, and lead to important concerns about the potential of the Strategy to deliver concrete impact:

• The Strategy frames poverty as a barrier to competitiveness, presenting poverty reduction primarily as a means to support economic growth. This approach risks overshadowing the imperative to eradicate poverty as a matter of human rights and social justice.
• It is unclear how the implementation of the Strategy will be funded, as it relies on the willingness of EU member states to better use existing EU funds, such as the European Social Fund (ESF), without creating new funding avenues. Moreover, the negotiations of the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034 are still ongoing, with strong uncertainties about the future budget to be allocated to social inclusion and poverty eradication.
• Several marginalised groups are painfully absent from the Strategy, such as sex workers and people with a migrant background, including undocumented people, despite their higher risk of poverty and the barriers they face to overcome it. Other marginalised groups’ experiences are insufficiently recognised. For instance, LGBTQI+ people are referred to as a homogeneous group, without acknowledging the specific forms of marginalisation faced by trans and intersex people, disproportionately affected by poverty. Similarly, age-based discrimination affecting both older and younger people is not explicitly recognised. Crucially, while discrimination overall is acknowledged as a key driver of poverty, there are no proposed measures to combat it, not even a reaffirmation of existing efforts under the Union of Equality. These gaps further invisibilise certain groups and reinforcing harmful narratives that divide people experiencing poverty into those seen as “deserving” or “undeserving” of support.
• A large part of the Strategy focuses on integrating people experiencing poverty into the labour market, with employment consistently presented as the primary pathway out of poverty. The framing overlooks the complexity and multidimensional nature of poverty, which cannot be reduced to labour market participation alone. It also ignores the reality of those who cannot work for a variety of reasons, with the risk of reinforcing negative stereotypes against them.
• At the same time, the Strategy pays limited attention to ensuring effective adequate and targeted access to essential services, or to strengthening public and social service provision. Instead, the focus is on increasing income and purchasing these services on the market. The rolling back of social services in some Member States is not acknowledged by the Strategy, missing the mark as quality public and social services for all who need them are a fundamental precondition for eradicating poverty by 2050.
• As a result, the Strategy lacks a structural and systemic approach, as it focuses primarily on the individual experience of poverty. Key drivers such as taxation, wealth redistribution, labour market structures, and systemic discrimination are left unexplored. This limits the Strategy’s ability to tackle the root causes of poverty in a comprehensive way and weakens its potential to deliver transformative change.
• The Strategy foresees the launch of a Coalition Against Poverty, bringing together “socially responsible business and philanthropic organisations”, but stays mute on whether civil society organisations would be involved too, leading to concerns over their involvement across the implementation and overall accountability of the Strategy.
• Finally, we are concerned that the proposed governance structure of the Strategy risks limiting its effectiveness. In particular, the Strategy does not outline how it will contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights. In the same way, it does not foresee deliverables after early 2028. It also lacks concrete targets and indicators to monitor progress towards the 2030 Porto Targets, and the overarching 2050 objective. In addition, it fails to set out a clear mechanism to ensure coordination across relevant European Commission Directorates-General, which is essential for a coherent and integrated implementation of the Strategy.

In conclusion, the launch of the EU APS marks an important step forward with several positive short-term measures. However, the Coalition fears that its limited focus on structural drivers of poverty, unclear funding commitments, and weak governance framework significantly reduce its long-term ambition and effectiveness.

As the implementation of the Strategy is starting now, the EU APS Coalition calls on the European Commission to establish meaningful and regular structured engagement with civil society organisations and people experiencing poverty as soon as possible, alongside clear monitoring mechanisms, activities post-2028, and strong coordination across institutions.  

The Coalition stands ready to continue engaging constructively with EU and national decision-makers and all other relevant stakeholders to help ensure it delivers lasting progress towards the eradication of poverty by 2050.

Eurochild welcomes the European Commission Communication on strengthening the European Child Guarantee as an important signal that tackling child poverty and social exclusion remains a core priority for the European Union. Overall, this Communication is a useful and promising basis for strengthening the European Child Guarantee.

We strongly welcome the increased emphasis on prevention, integrated support services, mental health, online safety, school meals, early childhood education and care (ECEC), mentoring, and support for the transition from childhood into early adulthood, as well as the focus on Roma children. The Communication rightly acknowledges that fragmented, short-term interventions are insufficient, and that stronger governance, monitoring and long-term investment are necessary to break the cycle of disadvantage.

The next phase must now focus on concrete delivery:

• stronger revised National Action Plans,
• systematic use of the European Semester,
• meaningful participation of children in vulnerable situations and civil society,
• robust monitoring frameworks,
• adequate, ring-fenced funding under the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034),
• strengthened targeted measures for children facing the highest barriers, including children with a migrant background and ethnic minority origin.

Read the full position paper

The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy is the first of its kind at EU level. It sets a target of reducing the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion by at least 15 million by 2030, with the stated aim of helping to eradicate poverty in the EU by 2050. It is organised around three priorities: quality jobs, access to services and income support, and coordinated action across Member States.

The Communication on breaking the cycle of child poverty which strengthens the European Child Guarantee, focuses on families’ access to jobs, childcare and safety nets; access to services for vulnerable children; and investment in children.

The proposal for a Council Recommendation on fighting housing exclusion addresses housing affordability and homelessness across Europe. It proposes a shift from emergency responses towards prevention, including early interventions for at-risk households, stable housing solutions, and greater investment in social and affordable housing.

The Communication enhancing the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities up to 2030 updates the existing strategy with a focus on implementation. It covers access to rights and services, independent living, inclusive employment and education, and disability inclusion in the EU’s external action.

Eurochild will publish short reactions on social media and has already responded to media enquiries on the day of their publication. Over the coming days and weeks, we plan to publish fuller reactions and dedicate more time to analysing these instruments in depth, with a particular focus on what they mean for children and families across Europe.

We will share further updates with you as soon as they are available.