Session of Council for Juvenile Justice held under chairmanship of Levon Balyan

The session of the Council for Juvenile Justice was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister of Justice Levon Balyan. Deputy Minister of Health Artak Jumayan; Director of the "Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes Implementation Centre" State Non-Commercial Organisation Hayk Sanoyan and Deputy Director Syuzanna Makyan; Programme Officer (Access to Justice) at UNICEF Victoria Ohanyan; representatives of state and non-governmental organisations also participated in the meeting. Levon Balyan greeted the participants of the session and stressed that the sessions of the Council are aimed at identifying the gaps in the protection of the rights of minors and providing institutional solutions.

Levon Balyan touched upon the model of the Barnahus Centre and recommended that the issues of medical care and investigative actions conducted at the centres be considered as key to the agenda for discussions.

Director of the "Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes Implementation Centre" State Non-Commercial Organisation Hayk Sanoyan emphasised that starting from 2022, the issue of ensuring the mandatory presence of psychologists during the interrogation of minors engaged in justice matters in investigative processes has been regulated by legislation. Hayk Sanoyan mentioned that during a visit to the Barnahus Centre on 24 July, it was recorded that investigative actions against minors having been sexually assaulted should be carried out in Barnahus, and the need to organise a forensic medical examination in Barnahus was considered. During the session of the Council, it was noted that, through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Justice and UNICEF, a Division for Implementation and Co-ordination of Re-socialisation and Rehabilitation Programmes for Minors engaged in Justice Matters was established as part of the "Legal Education and Rehabilitation Programmes Implementation Centre" State Non-Commercial Organisation in July 2024. The task of the Division is to develop the concept paper of the rehabilitation centre, secondary legislation acts, after which it will be possible to understand under which authority and which regulations the rehabilitation centre will operate.

Barnahus is a complex providing a number of services offered to children in a child-friendly environment "under one roof", aiming to facilitate the protection, rehabilitation and administration of justice for children in a favourable and safe environment for them. The model was introduced in Armenia within the scope of the “Accountable Institutions and Human Rights Protection in Armenia” project funded by the European Union and in co-operation with UNICEF, the Ministry of Justice and the Unified Social Service of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. It is envisaged that two more Barnahus Centres will be established in the territory of the Republic of Armenia by the end of 2024.