Draft:Bragi Guðbrandsson

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Bragi Guðbrandsson
Born23 September 1953[1]
Reykjavík, Iceland[1]
EducationBA (Hons) in Sociology; postgraduate studies (1976–1978)[1]
Alma materUniversity of Kent
OccupationChildren's rights expert
Years active1980s–present
OrganizationUnited Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Known forInitiating the Barnahus model[2][3]
TitleMember (2019–present)[4]
AwardsPremios Centenario Award (2019)[3]
Honorary Certificate, Council of the Baltic Sea States (2018)[5]
Juvenile Justice Without Borders International Award (2022)[6]

Bragi Guðbrandsson (born 23 September 1953) is an Icelandic expert in children's rights and child protection policy, known for initiating the Barnahus (Children’s House) model, a multidisciplinary response to child abuse first established in Iceland in 1998.[2][7] He has been a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child since 2019.[4]

Guðbrandsson previously served as Director General of the Icelandic Government Agency for Child Protection from 1995 to 2018.[1]

Early life and education

Guðbrandsson was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 23 September 1953.[1] He studied sociology at the University of Kent, where he completed a BA (Hons) in Sociology. He undertook postgraduate studies there between 1976 and 1978.[1]

Career

Guðbrandsson served as Director of Local Social Services in Kópavogur from 1982 to 1991.[1] He was Counsellor to two Minister's of Social Affairs from 1991 to 1995.[1]

From 1995 to 2018, he served as Director General of the Government Agency for Child Protection in Iceland.[1]

In 1998, Guðbrandsson initiated the establishment of Barnahus in Reykjavík.[2] The Barnahus model was inspired by the United States Children's Advocacy Center approach and brings together child protection, criminal investigation, medical assessment and therapeutic services in one child-friendly setting.[7][8] Barnahus departs from the US CAC model by integrating the judicial process through the taking of pre-trial testimony under conditions designed to spare the child victim from testifying in court.[7][9]

The model originated in Iceland and has since been adapted in a number of European countries.[7][9]

Guðbrandsson was elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2018 and took office in 2019.[10] He was re-elected in 2022 for a further four-year term.[11] As of March 2026, he remains listed as a member of the Committee by OHCHR.[4]

Within the Council of Europe, Guðbrandsson served on the Lanzarote Committee, the monitoring body of the Lanzarote Convention, and was its Chair from 2014 to 2016.[1]

He also worked within the Council of the Baltic Sea States on regional cooperation concerning children at risk.[1]

Awards and recognition

In 2022, Guðbrandsson received the Juvenile Justice Without Borders International Award from the International Juvenile Justice Observatory in recognition of his work in developing the Barnahus model and advancing child-friendly justice.[6]

In 2019, Guðbrandsson received the Premios Centenario Award from Save the Children during the organisation’s centenary celebrations in Madrid.[3]

In 2018, he received an honorary certificate in connection with the 20th anniversary of the Council of the Baltic Sea States Expert Group on Children at Risk, in recognition of his role in initiating the first Barnahus and contributing to the work of the Expert Group.[5]

See also

References

  1. "CV_Bragi Gudbrandsson". Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. "Introducing the founding members of the Network". Barnahus Network. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  3. "Premiados Premios internacionales Save the Children". Save the Children España. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  4. "Membership". OHCHR. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  5. "Celebrating 20 years of cooperation". Children at Risk, Council of the Baltic Sea States. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  6. "'Juvenile Justice Without Borders' International Award Seventh Edition 2022". International Juvenile Justice Observatory. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. Guðbrandsson, Bragi (2024). "Barnahus: avoiding re-victimisation with a child-friendly and multiagency response to child sexual abuse". European Public Mosaic (EPuM). Open Journal on Public Service (23): 20–31. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  8. "About Barnahus". Barnahus Network. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  9. "Barnahus: a European journey". Council of Europe. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  10. "Bragi kjörinn í barnaréttarnefnd SÞ". Government of Iceland. 29 June 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  11. "Bragi Guðbrandsson endurkjörinn í nefnd Sameinuðu þjóðanna um réttindi barnsins". Government of Iceland. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2026.