The DGAIA plans to open the new Barnahus services in 12 Catalan cities in autumn

The DGAIA plans to open the new services in Barnahus in the autumn, between October and November, according to the Director of Child Care, Ester Cabanes, from Barnahus de Tarragona.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
04 July 2023 Tuesday 16:48
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The DGAIA plans to open the new Barnahus services in 12 Catalan cities in autumn

The DGAIA plans to open the new services in Barnahus in the autumn, between October and November, according to the Director of Child Care, Ester Cabanes, from Barnahus de Tarragona. It is the first in the State that was inaugurated in March 2023 and is a model that provides comprehensive care for victims of sexual assault on minors.

The new services will be in Tortosa, Vilanova i la Geltrú, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, ​​Badalona, ​​Granollers, Mataró, Terrassa, Manresa, Lleida, La Seu d'Urgell and Girona. However, Cabanes has warned that the entry into operation will depend on the "administrative processes". Tarragona has had this benefit since 2020 and since then 700 children have been cared for.

In Tarragona, in 2020 106 victims were accompanied and in 2022 it reached 265. From January 2023 to June 133 people have already passed through Barnahus, therefore, the annual figure could be similar to that of last year.

Cabanes has confirmed that from now on these data could be "stabilized", after a considerable increase since the service was launched. "Other countries that have this system have already warned us that the first few years they rose a lot and then they stopped growing", commented the director of the DGAIA.

This Tuesday, July 4, the executive approved a government agreement to accelerate the opening of this service by creating interdepartmental territorial commissions as a step prior to the entry into operation of this care model. The new Barnahus will be located in provisional spaces with the intention of building ad hoc facilities in the future.

The day held this Tuesday in Tarragona with those responsible for child care from various autonomous communities, as well as representatives of the Council of Europe to learn about this pioneering service. Organizations such as Save The Children have also participated and have been able to exchange experiences and opinions.