An important initiative aimed at strengthening child protection and enhancing cooperation among state institutions was launched today in Cahul with the inauguration of the Regional Center for Integrated Assistance to Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime - Barnahus South.
The Barnahus model brings together, under one roof, justice, child protection, health, social assistance, and law enforcement professionals, ensuring that interventions in cases involving children are coordinated, tailored to each child’s needs, and carried out in a safe and supportive environment.
The event was attended by the Speaker of Parliament, Igor Grosu, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Daniella Misail-Nichitin, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection, Natalia Plugaru, as well as representatives of public authorities, development partners, and civil society.
“Children are interviewed and assisted in a safe environment, adapted to their age and needs. The aim is to avoid repeated interviews, prevent revictimization and retraumatization and ensure that evidence is collected in a manner that fully respects the child’s dignity and best interests,” stated Daniella Misail-Nichitin.
Police data underscore the importance of such services. Throughout 2025, approximately 9,000 reports concerning children at risk were registered nationwide, including more than 1,800 cases in the southern region of the country. Behind every report is a child in need of protection, safety, psychological support, and a prompt institutional response.
Barnahus South, the second center of its kind in Moldova, will provide child victims and witnesses of crime with a child-friendly space where institutional responsibilities are carried out in a coordinated manner, within a single framework of cooperation. This approach enables children to receive protection, assistance, and specialized support without repeated exposure to procedures or interactions that could deepen their vulnerability.
The Center’s work reflects Moldova’s commitments at both the international and European levels, including those undertaken through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (the Lanzarote Convention).