A conference held in Madrid on October 25 marked the culmination of the joint project of the Council of Europe and the DG REFORM of the European Union aimed at promoting the Barnahus model in Spain. The Barnahus (Children's House in Icelandic) is the main European response model against child sexual abuse. It aims to coordinate parallel criminal investigations and child protection efforts, bringing all relevant services under one roof to prevent secondary victimization of children.
Le projet « Renforcer la justice adaptée aux enfants grâce à une coopération et une coordination efficaces entre différents services de type Barnahus dans les régions d’Espagne », a été mis en œuvre en collaboration avec le Ministère espagnol de la Jeunesse et de l’Enfance. Au cours des 28 derniers mois, le projet a contribué à améliorer le cadre législatif et politique pour la mise en œuvre du modèle Barnahus en Espagne et dans ses régions, tout en renforçant les compétences des professionnels travaillant avec les enfants.
The objectives of the event were to present the main achievements of the project to strengthen the protection of children who are victims of sexual violence and to ensure children's rights, to exchange views on the implementation at the regional level, and to evaluate the actions planned for Phase II of the project.
The Council of Europe and DG REFORM have supported several member states (Slovenia, Finland, Ireland, and Croatia) in the establishment and implementation of the Barnahus model. However, Spain is the first decentralized country where the Barnahus project is being implemented, with responsibilities delegated to 19 autonomous communities and cities.
More than 150 participants, including high-level national and regional authorities and officials, the office of the Defender of Rights, representatives of civil society, and national and international experts in children's rights, took part in the conference. The conference was opened by Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Childhood of Spain, Nathalie Berger, Director of Support for Member States' Reforms, DG REFORM, European Commission, and Roberto Olla, Head of the Department of Human Dignity and Gender Equality of the Council of Europe.
La conférence a coïncidé avec l’anniversaire de l’ouverture à la signature de la Convention du Conseil de l’Europe pour la protection des enfants contre l’exploitation et les abus sexuels, adoptée à Lanzarote le 25 octobre 2007. »
Source : Conseil de l’Europe
Photo : @Council of Europe