On 11 December 2023, the Joint meeting of the Cooperation Committee and the Project Monitoring Board of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 for the Programme “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime” took place in Riga. Representatives from the Latvian Ministries of Interior and Welfare, the State Police, the EEA Financial Mechanism Office, and the Council of Europe attended the meeting which presented  achievements, activities, indicators, expenditure and risks of different projects under the Programme.

On 12 December 2023 various project visits were organised, including a visit to the Barnahus in Riga, which opened its doors in October 2023. The Barnahus deals with cases of child sexual and physical abuse, and expects to take in a caseload of 120 children in 2024. At the moment, referrals may come from two streams: through the police, once the criminal investigation has started, and through social services, the custody court, or the children hospital. In the future referrals may also come from families, teachers and private persons. More than 40 professionals working with the Barnahus have been trained so far, and there are plans to create a therapy network of psychologists specialised in child abuse and trauma-informed care. State budget will be allocated to expand the Barnahus services to the other regions of Latvia by 2026.

The opening of the Barnahus was possible through the financial support of the EEA and Norway Grants in Latvia and the advice on operational issues by the Council of Europe.