Armenia: EU helps to open Centre for child-friendly investigations of child sexual abuse cases

On 14 April, an Armenian Barnahus centre was opened at the premises of Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) Child Protection Centre Foundation in Yerevan. The centre will play a key role in the transition to child-friendly justice approaches to ensure that the justice system responds effectively to criminal cases. 

The Barnahus (Children’s House) is a child-friendly response model for the coordination of criminal and child welfare investigations of child sexual abuse cases. It brings under one roof all relevant professionals (the judge, the prosecutor, the police, social workers and medical professionals such as psychologists, forensic doctors) to obtain from the child victim the necessary information for investigation and court proceedings, and to prevent re-traumatisation for the child, including through medical and therapeutic assistance.

The centre was established within the EU-funded project ‘Accountable Institutions and Human Rights Protection in Armenia’, which supports the Armenian government’s efforts towards inclusive, accountable and effective service delivery in the field of rule of law, security, enhanced human rights protection and Constitutional reform. The project is implemented jointly with UNDP, UNFPA, OSCE, and UNICEF.

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