A psychologist reported that she counselled a couple for five months before the women stated that she had been beaten. She noted that it is very common for girls as young as 16 to 19 years old to be beaten by their boyfriends. Many girls she treats are afraid to be in relationships because of the amount of violence that is accepted as normal in Bulgarian society. According to staff of the Criminal Medicine Department of the Medical Academy, which provides the necessary documentation of injuries for evidence in court proceedings, thirty to fifty percent of the cases in the Criminal Medicine Department involve injuries resulting from domestic violence. Many women who have been repeatedly assaulted by their husbands have obtained several certificates from the Criminal Medicine Department.
Some women try to use the medical certificates to persuade their husbands to stop the violence.
After a period of time, many women give up this process and accept their situation without ever using the certificates in a court proceeding. He believes that women are more likely to be injured by domestic violence than any other type of injury. The Legal System 1. For a variety of reasons, domestic violence cases rarely reach the criminal court system. One prosecutor noted that when a woman is battered, she usually does not contact the police or state prosecutors.