Logá ášši sámegilllii. There have been many discussions on social media after news published a case about how Kautokeino has handled sexual abuse in the municipality. Rita Julie Anne Hætta (20) is not surprised by what Kátjá Rávdná Broch Einebakken experienced in Kautokeino. She herself is from the village and since her youth has heard of several rape cases, and that nothing is done about them, she says. – Then I learned that if it happens, there is no point in talking about it. In any case, you won’t get the support you want. Rita Julie Anne Hætta says that despite the fact that she herself had a nice childhood, not everything is good in Kautokeino. Photo: Rita Julie Anne Eira Rita Julie Anne says she recognizes herself in what emerges in news’s case. – That is as Kátjá Rávdná explains. There are comments and older people pushing themselves on young girls. I have not experienced that anywhere else. Moved from Kautokeino Rita Julie Anne now lives in Tromsø and says she didn’t realize how different the culture was in Kautokeino until she moved there. – When I joined the military and went to a party with friends from there, I realized that they have a completely different party culture to what we have. When I told them about what it’s like in Kautokeino, they were like “Oi! That is not normal.” This is what the young people in Kautokeino answered about sexual harassment. Young people in Kautokeino are more exposed to sexual harassment than young people in the rest of the country. This is shown by figures from this year’s Ungdata survey. Pupils at upper secondary school answered: About one in four, 24 per cent, have experienced someone sending illegal pictures or films of them with sexual content. On a national basis, ten percent answer the same. 42 percent have experienced that someone has spread sexual rumors about you. On a national basis, 33 percent answer the same. 48 percent answer that they have been touched in a sexual way. On a national basis, 26 percent answer the same. This year no figures have been published on how many people have experienced being pressured or forced into sexual acts. In the report from 2021, 12 percent of the students answered that they had experienced it in Kautokeino. On a national basis, 14 per cent of pupils this year have responded that they have experienced this. These figures are particularly serious as in many cases there may be sexual abuse involved. She does not think that she will move back until she is even more grown up, although she misses both her family and friends who live there. She also emphasizes that not everything is just wrong with Kautokeino. – But I think it is right that there is an ugly culture in Kautokeino and something must be done about it. Think you have to admit the problem On social media, some people think it’s not right to focus only on Kautokeino, as this is a problem all over the world. – But is it a consolation for us that it is just as bad elsewhere? That is what Siebe Niillas – Nils Johan Hætta asks. He is a municipal council representative for the Kautokeino Sami list (GSL) and former director of news Sápmi. Siebe Niillas – Nils Johan Hætta believes it is important that difficult social problems are discussed. He believes it is good for society that we also talk about the difficult topics. – We must admit and realize that violence and abuse are a challenge in Kautokeino. He believes that if you do not admit this, then there is no hope of changing this either. – Also, it is not particularly important what reputation Kautokeino has after the case, but rather the safety and security of girls and women. Afraid that this will affect recruitment Aili Keskitalo is afraid that the case may affect recruitment opportunities in the municipality. In Kautokeino they have both upper secondary school and university. – We want to get students here from other places in Sápmi. Therefore, we must ensure that we can offer students a safe environment. Aili Keskitalo works on a daily basis at Amnesty where they are working to get a law in place that means that everyone must consent before having sex. Photo: Berit Solveig Gaup / news Keskitalo herself grew up in Kautokeino and is the mother of three daughters. She believes they now have to work with the village’s attitudes towards violence and abuse. – Through village gossip, it is often the case that it is the girl or woman who is left with the blame. Some believe that she must have done something to have ended up in a situation where she has been raped. This, she believes, must change. – We must explain to children, young people and adults that it is the person who rapes who is responsible. Not the one being raped. – We still have improvement potential there. Promises to follow up In October, the municipal council will discuss an action plan against violence and abuse. Kautokeino mayor Anders S. Buljo says so to news. – I promise that we will also prioritize this financially. Mayor Anders S. Buljo promises that the municipality will deal with violence and abuse. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther/news The parties Árja, Høyre and Samelista in the municipal council also promise to follow up on the case. – We have expectations for the follow-up and also promise to lead the work. We must work together to change attitudes and solve challenges in our society. Only then can we get change. They write that in an article in the newspaper Ávvir (in Northern Sami). The mayor asks that everyone now participate in the work to combat violence and abuse in society. – There should be zero tolerance for all types of violence. When we consciously work on this at all levels of society, we can achieve this. Have you been the victim of abuse? Here you can seek help: Published 29.08.2024, at 12.46 Updated 29.08.2024, at 13.37
ttn-69
Sexual abuse is discussed in Kautokeino – Mayor promises changes in the municipality – news Sápmi
