What is the project?

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 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.

The implementation of the legislative framework concerning protection of child victims and witnesses of criminal offences remains challenging in Croatia, especially regarding the number of examinations/interviews before and during the criminal proceedings. Since the adoption of the Criminal Procedure Act in 2008, pre-recorded interviews are used in Croatia, and the Croatian National Plan for Combating Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment 2022-2027 has a specific Measure 2.6 “Improving care and ensuring the availability of support services for victims of sexual offenses”. 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 project is co-funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in co-operation with the European Commission. It is implemented by the Council of Europe’s Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation of Croatia, from 1 September 2023 to 30 June 2026.

 Project at a Glance (available in Croatian and in English)

 Project news

Back Strengthening child protection from sexual violence in Croatia: Certification and re-launch of the HELP training

Strengthening child protection from sexual violence in Croatia: Certification and re-launch of the HELP training

On 4 February 2026, the Council of Europe – European Union joint project “Implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia”, re-launched the Croatian version of the HELP course on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. The event in Zagreb marked the start of a second tutored training cycle, further reinforcing efforts to safeguard children’s rights in Croatia.

Adapted to Croatia’s legal system with the support of the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation and the Croatian Judicial Academy, the HELP course aims to strengthen capacities of professionals working for and with children. It supports Croatia’s commitment to establishing the Barnahus – a leading European response model to child sexual abuse that coordinates parallel criminal and child welfare investigations, with all relevant services under one roof, to prevent secondary victimisation of children.

Since its initial launch on 8 October 2025, a first group of 22 legal professionals, including court advisors, judges, and prosecutors from county and municipal courts across Croatia, successfully completed the course. Participants reported improvements in their practical ability to protect children’s rights at the national level. 

At the re-launch event, the first cohort received certificates and provided feedback, highlighting practical changes inspired by the training. They also shared insights with a new cohort of 40 legal and non-legal professionals from across the country, who will benefit from a three-month personalised training, combining international and national standards with practical Croatian case studies.

The training aims to:

  • Enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals to detect, respond to, and prevent child sexual abuse in a child-friendly, gender-sensitive, and rights-based manner.
  • Promote better co-ordination across sectors involved in child protection — ensuring that legal, medical, and social responses are aligned and mutually reinforcing.
  • Encourage the consistent and effective application of international standards, in particular the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention), across all relevant institutions in Croatia.
  • Promote a child rights-based culture where children's voices and best interests are at the centre of every decision.

In her welcoming address, Ana Kordej, Acting Director at the Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, reiterated Croatia’s commitment to opening future Barnahus units. Government and project representatives further stressed the importance of the training in safeguarding children’s rights. The significance of the Lanzarote Convention and the recommendations of the Lanzarote Committee for Croatia were also highlighted.

Zagreb 04 February 2026
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 What do we aim to achieve?

Supporting the sustainable operation of the Barnahus model in Croatia

Supporting the sustainable operation of the Barnahus model in Croatia

Supporting the sustainable operation of the Barnahus model in Croatia

 

The project will support an analysis of the current legal, institutional and policy frameworks for child protection at national level, the roles and responsibilities of key actors, inter-agency information exchange, and will assess the participation and involvement of children in these processes. The analysis will lead to a set of recommendations for improvement and a roadmap for the establishment of the Barnahus model in Croatia. The project will also contribute to the development of procedures and protocols to support inter-agency co-operation, in particular the signing of an inter-agency agreement between relevant ministries and other stakeholders. Finally, a draft business plan and guidelines for organisational and spatial coordination will be developed in consultation with key stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Barnahus model in Croatia.

  • Analysis of the legislative, policy and institutional framework regarding protection of children and procedures for cases on violence against children, including sexual violence in Croatia (available in Croatian and in English)
  • Mapping and desk research review of the international standards and principles as well as the existing Croatian legislation relevant for professionals handling cases of children victims of sexual violence and abuse (Full version in Croatian / Summary in English)
  • Roadmap, including a Cost Structure Analysis, for the implementation of the Barnahus Model in Croatia (available in Croatian and in English)
  • Report on procedures and protocols supporting an inter-agency agreement between Croatian authorities competent for implementing the Barnahus model in Croatia (available in Croatian and in English)
  • Guidelines on the Implementation of the Barnahus Model in the Area of Organisational and Spatial Coordination (available in Croatian and in English)
Enhancing knowledge and capacities of professionals working in Barnahus

Enhancing knowledge and capacities of professionals working in Barnahus

Enhancing knowledge and capacities of professionals working in Barnahus

 

In order to ensure that legal and non-legal professionals working with and for children in Barnahus are well equipped to fulfil their roles, the project will develop a training gap analysis to identify existing gaps that should be addressed. Recommendations from this analysis will then guide the development of appropriate training materials and the organisation of training of trainers’ workshops to create a pool of national trainers on priority topics. Finally, a study visit will be organised for Croatian professionals to another country where the Barnahus model has already been implemented, in order to learn about the challenges and opportunities that have arisen in the context of implementing the Barnahus model.

Raising awareness of professionals and the wider public on child sexual abuse

Raising awareness of professionals and the wider public on child sexual abuse

Raising awareness of professionals and the wider public on child sexual abuse

 

The project will produce a survey report on perceptions of child sexual abuse in Croatia and, in particular, on the quality and child-friendliness of judicial services available to child victims and witnesses of violence. Roundtables and workshops will be organised to raise awareness among decision makers. Finally, to ensure the successful implementation of the Barnahus model, relevant Council of Europe standards and other materials will be adapted to the Croatian context before being disseminated and promoted through various channels throughout the country.

 What is Barnahus? (Croatian version)

 Video presenting Barnahus in Iceland (Croatian version)

 

 Who do we work with?

The participation of representatives of the relevant bodies and institutions is foreseen. Civil society organisations and academia will also be involved in Project activities to identify existing shortcomings of the Croatian justice system in relation to child victims and witnesses of violence.

 Who will benefit from the project?

The Project targets relevant authorities and legal and non-legal professionals in contact with children and/or dealing with cases of child sexual abuse. They will benefit directly from the Project through reports, analysis and tools on how to implement the Barnahus model in Croatia, as well as capacity building activities.

The final beneficiaries of the Project are children at risk of, victims and/or witnesses of any type of violence, including physical and sexual abuse. Children will eventually benefit from improved access to justice, more effective state response and more child-centred and child-friendly practices during the processing and management of violence against children, including child sexual and physical abuse cases.

The Croatian society as a whole will ultimately benefit from the Project with the wider public reached through awareness raising and promotional activities.

 Project documents

Reports

 Useful resources in Croatian

European standards and principles

Kiko and the hand / Kiko i ruka

Kiko and the Manymes / Kiko i Mnogomene

Tell someone you trust / Reci osobi kojoj vjeruješ

Other resources

 

 

 Video on the Icelandic Barnahus model

  Video on the CoE-EU co-operation on Barnahus model

Watch the long and short versions of the video.

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