Last week, news revealed that in the last five years there have been at least 33 reports of sexual abuse committed by employees at child welfare institutions. A few days later, we were able to tell about “Sofia” (16), who was subjected to several abuses by an employee at a child welfare institution. Several employees notified, many reacted. But the management did nothing. In Norway, no one knows how often this happens. There is also a lack of concrete measures on how to prevent it. This was also the situation in Sweden until 2019. Then they decided to get an overview. A report was prepared, and measures were introduced. When Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe is presented with the measures from Sweden by news, she is now interested in copying several of them. Concrete measures The Swedish report “Who will believe me?” revealed 203 reports of sexual abuse against children in the Swedish youth homes. 193 of the notifications concerned abuse by employees. Most committed by men against young girls. Around 1,000 children live in the Swedish institutions run by the Norwegian Institutions Board (SiS). There are roughly the same number of children living in Norwegian child welfare institutions. To avoid abuse, SiS introduced a number of measures. These are some of the most important: Less solitary work. An employee must not be alone with a child for too long. Always two members of staff at institutions with the youngest girls. Insert glass doors and windows where they can. Open closed spaces. Instructions to regularly ask direct questions to the young people: “How are you? Is someone making you uncomfortable right now? Employees who receive notifications must immediately report to their immediate superior. No employee can wait for what they hear. In the event of a warning against an employee, the latter must immediately leave work until an investigation is carried out. If the case described is serious, it must be reported to the police immediately. – It is not optional whether to follow the measures. If there are suspicions, we must take them seriously. Always. It is better to implement a strict measure and go back on it, than to do too little, says Elin Gustafsson. Children’s rights coordinator Elin Gustafsson. She is the children’s rights coordinator at the Norwegian Agency for Institutional Affairs and is responsible for implementing the measures at the state’s 21 youth homes. Swedish measures applicable in Norway Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe has read with interest about the measures introduced following the report in Sweden. – I see the need for a survey a la Sweden. I have taken the initiative to do so. I read with interest the reports from Sweden, but also the measures they have initiated, says Toppe. She specifically mentions measures that go into how long it is okay for an employee to be alone with a child at a time. She also highlights the work on changing attitudes. Toppe has instructed Bufdir to carry out a proper survey of the extent of sexual abuse in child welfare institutions, and if necessary to initiate research in the area. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news In Dagsnytt 18 yesterday, Toppe said that a culture must be created in all child welfare institutions, where people become aware of the risk that such services almost attract a number of people who should not be working among children and young people. Toppe also said that it is important to work with follow-up at the institution. – We must get to the point where managers at all levels raise the issue, so that everyone knows what they are talking about. It also applies to the young people themselves, that they understand that when such things happen, it is illegal, said Toppe. Has added resources news has visited the Brättegården youth center outside Vänersborg in Sweden. Measures have been implemented here. At the end of Vänern in Västra Götaland County, the youth center is idyllically located. Today, 25 girls aged 16 to 21 are forcibly placed here. When news visits, the young people are shielded. They attend the institution’s internal school from 9 to 15. Magnus Carlsson is the headmaster of the upper secondary school at the institution. He is also responsible for the preventive work. Principal Magnus Carlsson. When asked what is most important in the work against sexual abuse, he answers: – To avoid working alone with young people, and to have your own strategies for that. Always two together, or an open door when you enter a young person, and regular checks from an employed colleague. – This has been so important that we have added resources to be able to solve it. Then it has a downside in that it becomes more difficult to make spontaneous excursions. The business will not be as flexible as before. But it’s worth it, because it’s so important. Abuse must not happen, says Carlsson. No doors must be closed if employees are alone with young people. – Felt enormous shame When the many notifications about sexual abuse committed by employees became known in Sweden last year, it hit the Norwegian Institutions Board hard. – We felt enormous shame that this could happen to us. And we got a feeling of having to take a strong stand against what was uncovered, says Gustafsson. – There was everything from perceived nasty looks, sexual comments and sexual violations to physical abuse – all the way to rape. There are certainly dark figures as well, so then it’s about mapping, says Gustafsson. Early signs At Brättegården, the staff have also worked actively to identify early signs of inappropriate relationships between the staff and the young people. – It may be that you apply to one young person more than other young people. That one young person is viewed more positively than others. Or that one says that “I can take care of that”, or “I can take that conversation”. And how to handle this in the team that works together, says Carlsson. At the youth center Brättegården, the craft room is a popular place. Watercolor painting provides opportunities for creative expression. The young people depict feelings and moods through drawing. Painting made by one of the 25 girls at Brättegården. The institution Brättegården is open, but also has a ward with extra security due to the risk of escape. The youth center is idyllically located with several small houses outside in Vänersborg in Sweden . His colleagues have signed that they should not comment on or allude to sex towards the young people, talk about their own sexual experiences, or ask a resident to talk about something sexual – unless it is treatment-related. It is forbidden to have private relationships with the young people, exchange private phone numbers, or have contact on social media. – If we want to know, we have to ask the young people directly, says Elin Gustafsson. There has been some resistance in the organization to asking direct questions about abuse. One is afraid of ripping up trauma. But now it is mandatory. – We have weekly and monthly talks with our young people. Then we ask specific questions. “Have you been exposed to anything here at the institution in recent weeks?”, says Carlsson. At Brättegården, they also have a youth council where the topic is discussed. Few cases in formal channels The comprehensive report on sexual abuse is based on professor and researcher Maria Andersson Vogel’s studies at youth shelters in the period 2019 to 2022. She was surprised at how many children told about abuse, harassment and insecurity – compared to how few cases which were processed through formal channels. Maria Andersson Vogel, professor and researcher in criminology at Stockholm University. Photo: Stockholm University – One wonders if it is because children’s stories are not taken seriously, or because they choose to handle most things internally, says Vogel. She believes that the findings in her Swedish study may also have relevance in Norway. Published 11.12.2024, at 21.19
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