Ahead of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse marked on 18 November, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, have underlined a need to ensure child-friendly justice for child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation through developing Barnahus (Children’s House) structures in Europe.
Barnahus (Children’s House) is the leading European response model for child sexual abuse that coordinates parallel criminal and child welfare investigations, brings all relevant services under one roof, and thus helps avoid revictimization of the child.
“When something goes wrong – so often beyond the child’s control – children need the support not of a faceless and fragmented state, but of a kind, coordinated and personal care that does not frighten, intimidate or alienate them, that does not make them feel like a victim all over again. And the Barnahus model has proven to be an effective justice response that fits the bill,” Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić said. “In our newly launched Rome Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2022-2027, we have made it clear that we will continue to prioritise this model.”
The Barnahus model was first launched in Europe in Iceland in 1998. In 2015, the Council of Europe’s Committee of the parties to the convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (Lanzarote Convention) has recognised the model as a promising practice, and since then, the Council of Europe has been supporting its member states in adapting and using it. With the Council of Europe and EU support, the first Children’s House facility was opened in May 2022 in Slovenia. Similar joint projects in Finland, Ireland and Spain are ongoing.
Read also
“The challenge is to ensure that there is a shared understanding of what the Barnahus is and how it should be run, in line with international human rights standards. To respond to this challenge, the Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child, with the support of Iceland, is currently developing a mapping of the existing Barnahus-type services across the continent”, Secretary General noted.
Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, said:
“Iceland is truly proud to have pioneered the concept of Barnahus, which has been successfully exported to other European countries for almost a quarter of a century. Every child has the right to grow to adulthood in health, safety, peace and dignity, and it is imperative for all states to safeguard their rights. This is why Iceland has made the rights of children and young people a priority of its Presidency of the Council of Europe.”
“Children should be placed at the centre of policy-making through integrating services and protection systems for children. The Barnahus is an early model of this approach, a child-friendly, interdisciplinary, and multiagency centre where different professionals work under one roof on investigations of suspected child abuse cases and provide appropriate support for child victims. We are committed to sharing our expertise with other states, organisations and civil society, so that Barnahus-type services are established more widely across Europe, in line with recognised legal and quality standards,” she added.
“In this context, we are pleased to endorse the statement initiated by Andorra, Belgium, Monaco, San Marino, and Slovenia, and joined by 40 other member states of the Council of Europe and Mexico, supporting the implementation of the Barnahus model in Europe,” Committee of Ministers Chair concluded.
Further replication of the Barnahus model in Europe was the theme of the high-level event that took place on 16 November in Strasbourg. Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Minister for Education and Children of Iceland, Ásmundur Einar Daðason and the Director General of the Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat, Grzegorz Marek Poznański delivered opening remarks at the event.
Protecting children from violence, including sexual abuse, is one of the objectives of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027). At its plenary meeting that concluded today, the Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child has launched a child-friendly version of the strategy and a video.
The European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse marked on 18 November was established by the Council of Europe in 2015 upon the initiative of Slovenia. Its goal is to support and promote international, regional, national and local initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the issue of sexual violence against children. The theme of the 2022 edition of the European Day is “Getting it right: ensuring child-friendly justice through Barnahus structures in Europe”.
