The Consell de Ibiza, in collaboration with Save the Children, has unveiled this Tuesday the implementation plan of the Barnahus system, which seeks to reduce the re-victimization of minors who have suffered sexual assault. During a training day with professionals from justice, health, law enforcement and social services, the calendar of actions was detailed for the island to consolidate its role as a reference in the Balearic Islands in this area.
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Ibiza takes the lead in the model that seeks to alleviate trauma in child victims of sexual violence
Interinstitutional coordination for integrated care
At the event, held on November 25, a symbolic date in the fight against male violence, it was explained that the Barnahus model will unify judicial, medical, social and psychological care for minors who are victims of sexual violence in a single space, with the aim of preventing them from having to relive the trauma during the process.
The Councilor for Social Welfare, Carolina Escandell, recalled that Ibiza was the first island of the archipelago to initiate this process. “This model is not just a resource, it is a paradigm shift. We want the minor to be protected from the first moment and that no institution acts in isolation,” she said. In his speech, he stressed the Consell’s commitment to continue leading the project and working with all the administrations involved.
A calendar with specific milestones
During the conference, an implementation schedule was presented, which foresees the creation of a specific working group, the tendering of the service, the adaptation of the Balearic protocol on child sexual abuse to the Barnahus model, and the design of inter-institutional protocols. The model will ensure compliance with international standards, such as the four-room principle: interview, forensic medical examination, pre-constituted evidence and psychological care.
In a future adapted house, all professionals will come to the same place to intervene, which will reduce the child’s anxiety, facilitate a more complete account and improve the judicial effectiveness of the testimony.
Ibiza wants to be an example
The Consell emphasizes that becoming a regional benchmark in the implementation of the Barnahus system is an objective shared with organizations such as Save the Children and with the professionals from multiple disciplines who participated in the conference.
This multidisciplinary approach, based on the experience of Nordic countries and endorsed by the Council of Europe and the Spanish child protection law, is already applied in many European countries. In Spain, its deployment is contemplated by the Observatorio de la Infancia y la Adolescencia (Childhood and Adolescence Observatory).
“Ibiza believed in this model from day one,” stressed Escandell, who emphasized that the system places the minor at the center of the entire process.
The conference held this Tuesday consolidates the course towards a more humane, coordinated and effective care for the most sensitive cases affecting children and adolescents in Ibiza.
