Three crisis centres dealing with child victims of human trafficking and violence would start functioning in the end of the year, Deputy Labour and Social Policies Minister Ivanka Hristova said.

The centres would be located in Pazardjik, Dragoman and Balvan, Bulgarian news agency BTA reported. Financial resources would come from the state budget.

In 2005, 25 cases of child trafficking and violence against children were registered, BTA reported. Hristova said that most often the family of the victim was the cause of the problem or it simply neglected the issue.

The State Child Protection Agency issued 32 licenses for the opening of social re-habilitation and integration centres in the first half of 2006.

In the beginning of the year the agency also launched projects for the setting up of centres for children with disabilities, shtelters for homeless children and day-care centres.

Nearly 9776 children were accommodated in social institutions by the end of 2005, Hristova said.