From 29 September to 1 October, the European Union/Council of Europe joint project “Supporting the establishment of Barnahus in Slovenia” held a training of trainers for teachers and professionals working with children titled “Kiko and the Hand: Protective teachers – protected children.” The training was based on the Kiko and the Hand Training for Trainers Manual adapted to the Slovenian context and translated into Slovenian.

The goal of the training was to raise awareness on child sexual abuse, how to detect it, and how to speak about the topic to children in a child-friendly manner. The training also focused on enabling participants to pass on the acquired knowledge to their peers working with children.

In his opening remarks, Mr Andrej del Fabro from the Slovenian Ministry of Justice, stressed the importance of educators’ involvement in combatting child sexual abuse and underlined their role in supporting the success of the Barnahus project. The Council of Europe independent expert who developed the Manual and the training, Mr Francisco Javier Romeo Biedma from Espirales Consultoría de Infancia, led the three-day session with 40 participants, mainly teachers of Slovenian preschools and schools, as well as members of civil society organisations and NGOs working for children’s rights.

The training covered the topics of what constitutes violence, myths and realities about child sexual abuse, physical, psychological and social indicators shown by children that have been sexually abused, how to detect them, and how to communicate with children and their families on the topic, particularly in the context of primary education.