Child victims of abuse will only have to testify once with the centralization of procedures

PalmThe Minister for Families, Sandra Fernández, announced this Friday plans to implement the Barnahaus model in the Canary Islands to assist minors who are victims of sexual violence. The program consists of a centralized care system for minors, with at least one dedicated space on each island. It involves modifying the procedure so that only one interview is conducted with the child, creating a less intimidating environment. "What we want is a single protocol that coordinates all the agencies involved, so that multiple interviews with the child are avoided and they are in a single location, accessible to all professionals," Fernández explained. Typically, a specially trained professional conducts the interview, which is recorded and serves as legal evidence, thus reducing the need for the child to testify in court.

"With this, we can protect the child and focus on their emotional well-being," the councilor explained. "In such traumatic situations, we cannot allow the child to relive what happened so many times." She added that the testimonies of the victim's family will also be improved, since, due to the trauma and the need to protect themselves, as they are forced to repeat what the child experienced, they tend to "omit certain details" over time. The first center will open in Ibiza, where the Island Council has already been working on this project since the previous legislative term.