October 10, 2018
Slovenia has now signed a declaration setting out the creation of a Barnahus (Children’s House) for child victims of sexual abuse in the country. As such, Slovenia has joined other Council of Europe members states who have made a public commitment to investigating cases of such abuse; to follow best practices with regard to reducing any further trauma suffered by victims during these investigations, including the establishment of child-friendly settings; and to provided coordinated medical and mental health interventions, as needed.
The first Barnahus was opened in Iceland in 1998, and in the two decades since similar services have been set up in more than ten countries. The Barnahus system is a Council of Europe-promoted model to address child sexual abuse that brings together all relevant professionals (the judge, prosecutor, police, social workers and medical professionals, such as psychologists and forensic doctors) to obtain from the victim the information needed for investigation and court proceedings, to prevent their re-traumatisation during this process, and provide support, including medical and therapeutic assistance.
More detail about Barnahus can be found here.
