First Barnahus for child victims of sexual abuse launched in Slovenia

The first Barnahus (Children’s House) of Slovenia for child victims of sexual abuse has been launched in Ljubljana. The action is supported by the EU Reform – Council of Europe joint project: “Support the implementation of Barnahus in Slovenia - phase II”.

The first Barnahus was set up in Iceland in 1998. Since that time, similar services have been established in more than ten countries in Europe. There is growing international recognition of the paramount importance of child-friendly multi-disciplinary and interagency (MDIA) services being made available for child victims and witnesses of violence.

Barnahus is a model promoted by the Council of Europe aiming at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse. It provides service which is generally defined as a child-friendly, safe environment for children, bringing together relevant services under one roof for the purposes of providing the child with a coordinated and effective response and for preventing re-traumatisation during investigations and court proceedings.

Marjan Dikaučič, the Minister of Justice of Slovenia, stressed that violence against children is unacceptable, and underlined that the project is crucial in protecting some of the most vulnerable members of Slovenian society. It is expected that the Ljubljana Barnahus will issue around 200 cases per year. It will be run by five core staff members who will receive additional support from doctors and medical examiners at the nearby Paediatric Clinic.