The Nordic Barnahus model promotes child-friendly criminal procedure. An important aspect of the Barnahus model is that child victims of sexual exploitation or physical abuse do not testify in court, but an interview recorded in the pre-trial investigation is used as evidence instead. The article analyzes how the Barnahus model is implemented in Finland and Sweden using a comparative method.

The criminal procedure in child sexual exploitation and abuse is very similar in Finland and Sweden. The children are interviewed conclusively in the pre-trial investigation, and they are not present in the trial. Ensuring the suspect’s right to cross-examination in the pre-trial phase is a prerequisite for using recorded interviews as evidence. There is no direct contact between the defense and the child victim because the defense’s questions are presented by the interviewer.

The Finnish and Swedish Barnahus variations differ mostly in the legislative stance towards recorded interviews and the organization of Barnahus activities. In Finland, using recorded interviews is strictly legislated whereas in Sweden the approach is more flexible case-by-case discretion. In Finland, forensic psychologists interview young children and older children are interviewed by police officers trained in child forensic interviews. In Sweden, trained police officers conduct all interviews.