A/HRC/44/52/Add.1 out of school at such a young age, she becomes extremely vulnerable to violence and abuse. She also lacks the economic means to leave her abusive partner and may therefore remain trapped in a vicious cycle of violence. 53. The Special Rapporteur welcomes a set of initiatives implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy involving children and pupils in compulsory preschool and school education, such as the collection of early warning information about the students at risk of leaving school. According to the specifics of each case, the appropriate local institutions will be activated to work with students and their families to prevent their early dropout from school. Since the start of these initiatives three years ago, 14,000 students have returned to school.24 Trafficking of women and unborn children 54. Bulgaria has made significant efforts in the prevention of trafficking of human beings, including women and girls, thanks to a very active National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the effective application of the 2003 Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Act. However, Bulgaria remains one of the primary source countries in Europe for men, women and children subjected to trafficking and sale for sexual exploitation. Women are especially vulnerable, since disaggregated data shows that 87 per cent of the victims of trafficking in the past three years were women. 55. The Special Rapporteur is alarmed to hear about the existence of a new form of trafficking of women and unborn children to neighbouring countries, especially in the area of Burgas, where women sell their babies to traffickers for illegal adoption in Greece. According to the information provided, women are promised an amount that ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 euros for each baby, but very rarely do they get that amount. Desperation, a lack of economic opportunities and marginalization are the main reasons for this disturbing new form of trafficking and gender-based violence against women. The Special Rapporteur was encouraged to hear that a prosecution is initiated as soon as a case of trafficking of unborn babies is registered. In the city of Burgas, where most of such cases are recorded, 50 per cent of all convictions are for this form of gender-based violence. However, in other regions such cases are still underreported.25 Migrant and refugee women 56. Bulgaria has a detailed Law for Asylum and Refugees, adopted in 2002, which regulates the reception of asylum seekers, the assessment of their claims and their rights upon recognition. The State Agency for Refugees is responsible for registering and examining applications for international protection and administers six open registration reception centres and one closed one. Bulgaria also has a Law on Foreigners, adopted in 1998, which is applicable to all foreigners who have not made an application for international protection or whose claims have been finally refused. The Directorate of Migration is in charge of administering immigration detention facilities for foreigners falling under the scope of the Law on Foreigners. 57. The Special Rapporteur was informed that, despite the positive amendments to the Law for Asylum and Refugees introduced in 2015 that explicitly recognize gender-specific acts of persecution and gendered forms of violence and discrimination, such acts are not consistently identified and addressed in the assessment of claims for protection. Women and men who are granted international protection face a number of legal and practical barriers in exercising specific rights to which they are entitled, such as housing and social assistance. Once granted refugee status, they may be allowed to remain at the reception centres run by the State Agency for Refugees on a discretionary basis and for a period of up to six months, but are not entitled to receive food. Owing to the lack of available language and vocational courses, they are prevented from having opportunities to become self24 25 14 Information provided by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Official records would suggest a downward trend, as the number of cases peaked in 2017 (97) and then declined through 2019 (56). It is unclear whether underreporting varied in that period and whether that could make the trend of actual cases differ from those that are reported.