Interpreting in Barnahus

Barnahus (Children’s House) is a child-friendly, interdisciplinary institution where experts work under one roof to investigate suspected cases of child sexual abuse and provide support to the victims. The first Barnahus was established in Iceland, from where it spread across Europe as a model of good practice. The key feature of Barnahus is that child victims of sexual abuse come to a single institution, where trained professionals carry out all the essential procedures for criminal proceedings (forensic interview, initial psy­chosocial support, medical examination).

Slovenia adopted this model and opened its Children’s House (Hiša za otroke) in 2022. The authors of this article worked as simultaneous and consecutive interpreters at meetings in Slovenia, jointly organized by the Council of Europe, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia, and the European Commission. Through this experience, we identified a crucial missing element: interpreting services for non-Slovenian-speaking victims and their relatives. Slovenia lies at the crossroads of legal and illegal migration routes, meaning that such interpreting is frequently necessary.

The role of interpreters, their working methods, and their code of conduct should be clearly defined in advance to prevent improvisation and unnecessary stress for victims and their families. Interpreters in Bar­nahus, even those working on a contractual basis, should thus undergo specialized training, and their work must be based on professional standards and proven best practices.