Never before have so many approached the Competence Team for negative social control and honour-related violence, as last year. 1,137 cases, show completely fresh figures from the team that will guide state agencies. The cases concern, among other things, threats, violence, people who are involuntarily abroad and forced marriage. The team receives inquiries from child protection, the police, UDI, schools and others. The agencies want guidance in matters they are working on. The number of cases increased by another 30%, just from 2022. And the numbers have tripled since 2015. Increased competence An increase in cases can mean at least two things: That more people experience honor crimes. Or that more people speak up about what is happening, meaning that the numbers in the dark will decrease. Farrah Ghazanfar is a coordinator in the Competence Team. She believes the increase is due to the fact that more people have gained expertise in crimes of honor, and want guidance in the cases they handle. Farrah Ghazanfar has worked in the field since 2008. Photo: Farrah Ghazanfar / Private The competence team is a national team of experts with various professional backgrounds. Ghazanfar is clear that the figures show that honor crimes are a societal problem in Norway. More crime Terje Bjøranger is a police prosecutor in Kripos. He believes the figures are also about the fact that there are actually more cases. At Kripos, in the past year, they have received around 250 inquiries from the police districts about cases relating to honor crimes. – Previously, this was a topic for the big cities. But over the past ten years, this has become a topic for the whole of Norway. Today, this is milk and bread, i.e. everyday crime. Terje Bjøranger has worked in Kripos since 2015. He has experience from both the police, UDI and child welfare. Photo: Agnete Brun The police attorney helped establish the Competence Team back in 2004. He experiences that honor crimes surprise many new graduates who encounter this problem through their work. – Many come out in a reality that they were simply not aware of. It doesn’t just apply to the police, it also applies to child protection services, health, Nav and not least the school administration, says Bjøranger. Syria tops the statistics The Competence Team also keeps an overview of what kind of country background the cases concern. Syria clearly tops the statistics. Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia also follow. Over 70% of the cases concern girls. And for the first time, more cases now concern children than adults. Today, news publishes Brennpunkt’s documentary series Honor. It shows how young Norwegian girls live in fear that their parents will find them and kill them. Police chief Jasmina desperately tries to save two young Norwegians from being forced into marriage. At the same time, “Nora” is on the run from her parents. Hello! We at news Brennpunkt are working on a larger project on honor crimes. There will be more cases in the coming weeks. Do you know something? Do you have specific tips for things we should look into? Feel free to get in touch. Send me an email or contact me encrypted on the Signal app on +47 99 45 08 03.
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Record high figures for crimes of honor – news Dokumentar
