Some 500-550 Bulgarians a year become victims of human trafficking, according to official statistics, cited Bulgaria’s National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. On Monday 29th there was a press conference to launch a project aimed at fighting human trafficking. The project envisages the training of a large number of officials from the law enforcement and security institutions and courts and will acquaint people involved in the fight against human trafficking with  specific aspects of the problem. Human trafficking is a cross-border crime and requires joint efforts  by Bulgaria and all other EU countries. Currently large numbers of human traffickers are handed suspended sentences,  causing victims to give up on reporting cases to the police. (in 2014  92 people were convicted of human trafficking and 60% ended with suspended sentences). The most common profile of a victim is a young woman from a region with high unemployment and poverty.