The Ukrainian delegation, consisting of members from the Prosecutor General's Office, regional divisions, and district offices in Kyiv, visited Norway to learn best practices for conducting investigating interviews in cases that involve child victims and witnesses. The training was conducted by Norwegian experts. The participants are part of a team dedicated to developing a national protocol for investigative interviewing of children.
Background for the visit
“Children, due to their age and development, are inherently a vulnerable category that requires additional protection and special approaches. At the same time, the armed aggression of the Russian Federation has created additional layers of vulnerability for our children [...] which is undoubtedly a unique challenge for us during the Investigative Interviewing of children.”- Olesiia Voloshyna, Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence, the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Amidst Russia's aggression toward Ukraine, the country has made significant progress in implementing investigative interviewing within its criminal justice system, particularly in cases involving children, as this is crucial for ensuring the protection and support of vulnerable victims in these challenging times. For example, Ukraine has advanced the development of the 'green room methodology,' which is similar to Norway's 'Barnahus model.' Throughout this process, the NCHR has provided feedback and guidance through Sigrid Buseth, an investigative interviewing instructor with over 35 years of experience in the Norwegian police force. The work being done to implement the green room methodology laid the groundwork for the study visit in June.
Why visiting Norway?
Norway is one of the leading countries in investigative interviewing of children and has decades of experience with the Barnahus approach, which is an interdisciplinary center dedicated to investigating criminal cases involving children. The Barnahus model brings together law enforcement, child protection services, healthcare, and legal professionals to create a safe and supportive environment for children who are victims or witnesses. This collaborative approach ensures that children receive the care they need while also facilitating comprehensive and sensitive investigations.
About the study visit
During the study visit, participants explored several institutions that specialize in cases involving children, including the National Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS), Stavern Police University College, and Sandefjord Children's House. The study visit offered valuable opportunities for them to learn from and share experiences with Norwegian experts in investigative interviewing of children. Additionally, the delegation visited OsloMet University, which has developed an AI child avatar for practicing communication skills with children.
“Cooperation with Norwegian experts opens unique opportunities for Ukraine to develop juvenile justice. This includes borrowing structured training programs for interviewers, using artificial intelligence tools, particularly for skills training, and studying the experience of implementing Barnahus, a model that ensures the highest standards of child rights protection [...],” emphasized Olesiia Voloshyna, Deputy Head of the Department for the Protection of Children’s Interests and Combating Domestic Violence, the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The program began with a meeting with State Attorney Marthe Gaarder from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Participants further engaged with Gunn Astrid Baugerud at OsloMet, Tone Davik and Elin Aune Jorde, police superintendents from the National Criminal Investigation Service (KRIPOS), Inger-Lise Brøste, police superintendent from Stavern Police University College, Hanne Solheim, a police prosecutor from Southeastern Police District, and Eva Kristin Milett, and Janne Elise Kristensen from Sandefjord Children's House.
The NCHR relied on a variety of national expertise to support the study visit. We are extremely grateful for the support and involvement of everyone mentioned above, which made this visit a unique and enriching experience for our Ukrainian colleagues. We would like to extend a special thank you to Sigrid Buseth, who played a vital role in creating such a successful program and participated in the teachings throughout the visit.
“Along with developing a basic understanding and capacity to apply investigative interviewing during investigations, we plan to develop specialized programs and a team of experts and trainers. In particular, those who conduct interviews with children. We see this visit as a starting point for the systematic implementation of investigative interviewing as the basic standard for communicating with children in investigations. This involves both the development of a national interview protocol and the design and implementation of specialized training programs for Ukrainian practitioners,” - Said Vasylyna Yavorska, Executive Director, JustGroup.
For more information about the content of the study visit, please visit JustGroup's website.
“The efforts Ukraine is making to integrate investigative interviewing into its criminal justice system, with a strong emphasis on children’s rights, are truly remarkable. It is inspiring to witness this level of commitment and engagement despite the challenges posed by war. We hope we were able to give the delegation valuable insights into how Norway conducts interviews with children and how the legal framework to protect children’s rights is implemented by the police and prosecution. We are honored that Ukraine looks to Norway for guidance as they seek to develop this area further, and we are proud to collaborate with JustGroup”, said Sigrid Buseth and Katarina L. Friis-Olsen, the organizers of the study visit on the NCHR side.
The study visit was organized under the project "Investigative Interviewing in Ukraine: Upholding Human Rights in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Governance." This initiative is supported by the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine, managed by Norad, and covers the period from 2024 to 2027.