Deputies of the Committee on Budget and Finance (COF) approved this Thursday an amendment to the State Budget 2024 (OE2024), which provides for the creation of a pilot project that protects child victims of crime in the context of judicial proceedings.
On the first day of voting on the state budget 2024 (OE2024), the socialist proposal was approved by votes of all parties, with the exception of BE, which abstained.
In the amendment proposal, the PS parliamentary group proposes to implement a pilot project to create comprehensive services for child victims of crime, inspired by the Barnahus model.
Barnahus (“children’s home” in Icelandic) is an interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral model that responds to child victims and witnesses of violence and prevents (re)traumatization during investigations and legal proceedings, aiming to help provide strong evidence without the need for the victim to appear at the hearing. court. court.
According to the explanatory note to the proposal of the deputies, “the publication of the study of the Independent Commission on the Study of Sexual Abuse of Children in the Portuguese Catholic Church, by uncovering very serious crimes of which many children have been victims for too long,” says the explanatory note to the proposal of the deputies. , requires further consideration during the investigation of new responses that need to be taken” to protect victims.
Socialist MPs believe that “personalized and comprehensive support services for child victims should include a coordinated interdepartmental mechanism,” which includes “information and explanation for child victims and their loved ones,” “medical examinations,” and “emotional and psychological support.” and “facilitating the reporting of crimes and facilitating the collection of evidence in criminal proceedings.”
In support of its proposal, PS refers to the European Directive on “individualized and integrated support services for children,” which requires member states to take “the necessary measures to ensure the availability of specialized, personalized and integrated services” for child victims.
The Barnahus model originated in the Nordic countries, but has already been extended to several EU countries, receiving very positive assessments from technical specialists, socialist deputies recall.
“Anticipating what may become a responsibility within our European obligations, but above all recognizing the urgency of preventing, suppressing and mitigating the harm caused to child victims of crime, the Socialist Party Parliamentary Group proposes to create a pilot project to introduce comprehensive services for child victims crimes, inspired by the Barnahus model,” the deputies also write.