Complaints to the Bulgarian ombudsman increased by 30% in just two months. The increase is after the introduction of the state of emergency in Bulgaria in March due to Covid-19. Citizens most often complained about violated social and labor rights, violated right to health care and education, actions of fast loan companies, collection companies and private enforcement agents. This was shared with the freshmen from the National Program “Governing Skills” by the Ombudsman Diana Kovacheva. Kovacheva, who graduated from the BSoP in 2006, was a lecturer in the last fourth day of the first course of the National Program 2020-2021. In her lecture the National Ombudsman also spoke about the main powers of the institution, the actions and their results in last year and this year. She also paid special attention to the functions of the ombudsman for the protection of children’s rights. Diana Kovacheva noted that the registered complaints and signals regarding the rights of children last year were 492 and were more than in 2017 and 2018. By type of violation last year the most (222) were complaints about violated rights and freedoms of children. The quality and access to distance education, the risk of domestic violence, bullying and neglect are among the problems of children in the coronavirus situation, Kovacheva noted and explained the specific work of the ombudsman to reduce and solve these problems.

The consultant on etiquette and protocol Maria Kasimova-Moase paid attention to the problems of ignorance and non-observance of basic rules in non-verbal communication. With many visual examples she explained good and bad messages that we send with behavior, gestures, clothing.

These two lectures were the last for the first course of Class 2021. The trainees parted with the hope that soon they will again have the opportunity to be together in the second course of the National Program “Governing Skills”.