The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria is conducting a review of a new Social Services Act amid claims that the legislation’s provisions could marginalize the role of parents and allow unjustified and disproportionate interventions by the state in family life.

Some of these provisions are similar to laws in Norway, which have been widely criticized for eroding parental rights. Norway’s actions have resulted in a number of cases at the European Court of Human Rights.

The legal advocacy organization, ADF International, submitted a friend of the court brief highlighting the strong protections which exist in international law for parental rights.

Lidia Rieder, Legal Officer for ADF and one of the authors of the brief said that Bulgaria must ensure any new law respects the rights of parents. “Children deserve the loving care and protection of their parents. International law is clear that parents have the responsibility for raising children. The state should not interfere with those relationships unless there is clear evidence of a real risk of serious harm”.