Opening conference of the joint EU and CoE project “Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia” - Zagreb, 30 January 2024

On 30 January 2024, the opening conference of the joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia” is taking place at the National and University Library in Zagreb on 30 January 2024. 

The event is organised by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in cooperation with the European Commission and the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia.

The opening conference will bring together senior officials from different beneficiary institutions, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), the Council of Europe, as well as members of the Project Advisory Group and other national stakeholders who will work closely together on the project, including civil society. The conference will be an opportunity to promote the Barnahus model to a wider audience at national level, to present the results of the Inception Report and to share the different experiences of Member States in establishing the Barnahus model (Iceland, Finland and Slovenia).

The project “Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia” aims to improve access to and quality of the justice system for child victims and witnesses of violence in Croatia, to ensure that undue delays in the treatment of such cases are diminished, and that all children who are victims and witnesses of sexual violence benefit from a child-friendly access to justice. ​Building on the work already carried out by Croatia, the project aims to support the Croatian authorities in their first steps towards the establishment of a Barnahus in the country. The Barnahus model involves a multidisciplinary approach to the cooperation and coordination of competent authorities, in a child-friendly institution, during criminal and child welfare investigations in cases of violence against children, and the provision of support services to child victims and their families. 

The project is co-financed by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument, and is co-financed and implemented by the Council of Europe Children’s Rights Division in close cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia and the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), in the period from 1 September 2023 to 28 February 2026.

The project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and co-funded and 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 DG REFORM from 1 September 2023 to 28 February 2026.