The European Union-Council of Europe Joint Project “Implementing the Barnahus Model in Croatia” aims to improve the access and quality of the justice system for child victims of violence in Croatia, to ensure that undue delays in the treatment of such cases is diminished, and that all children who are victims of sexual violence benefit from a child-friendly access to justice.
Building on the work already carried out by Croatia, the technical support project aims to help the Croatian authorities in its first steps towards the establishment of a Barnahus in the country. The Barnahus Model is a child-friendly response model for the coordination of criminal and child welfare investigations of child abuse cases and providing support services for child victims and their families under one roof. The Barnahus model was recognised as a promising practice by the Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Committee) in 2015. The model has been replicated in Finland, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
The project is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and is implemented by the Council of Europe’s Children’s Rights Division in close co-operation with the Croatian Ministry of Justice and Public Administration and the Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG Reform), European Commission from 1 September 2023 to 28 February 2026.
The project is divided into three components, leading to the following outcomes:
- Legal, policy and institutional framework is established for the sustainable operation of Barnahus model in Croatia
- Enhanced knowledge and capacities of professionals working with and for children to respond to child sexual abuse
- Awareness of professionals and the wider public on the situation of child sexual abuse in Croatia is enhanced.
The project launch conference took place on 30 January 2024 in Zagreb and brought together the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration as the beneficiary authority, DG REFORM, the Council of Europe, the members of the Advisory Group and other national stakeholders who will work with the project, including NGOs, and civil society. The conference was an excellent opportunity to promote the Barnahus model at national level to a wider audience, to present the results of the inception report and to share different national Barnahus experiences.
