The case summarized In 2000, six-year-old Kim Eirik was killed, and the neighbor confessed to the murder. Kim Eirik’s mother, Wenche Farstad, believes that the family did not receive sufficient help and follow-up after the incident. Researcher Pål Kristensen believes that the follow-up of survivors after murder is generally too poor, and that there is often more focus on rehabilitating the perpetrator. Kristensen suggests that more central and nationwide services should be established for follow-up of survivors after murder. Ingunn Ophaug Røksland, who lost her son in a murder in 2015, believes that survivors should have been better informed about the perpetrator’s movements, especially during leave. Line Duesund Svendsen from Stine Sofies Stiftelse believes that the notification systems for victims are too poor, and that the victims are often forgotten in such cases. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. In June 2000, Kim Eirik was found dead after a three-day search in Smøla. He was only six years old. Afterwards, the neighbor confessed to the murder of the little boy. The person concerned is still serving a custodial sentence. It has now been 24 years since Wenche Farstad lost her child, and today the family from Nordmøre is doing well, considering the circumstances. But it is by no means a foregone conclusion, because the help they received after the incident was more or less non-existent, says the mother. – There was no help to be had afterwards, nothing. Kim Eirik Salmela Farstad was killed at the age of six. Photo: Private Unable to get outside help – The day after Kim Eirik was found, we were taken to the doctor’s office. A crying psychologist was waiting in a room. We got some paper towels from her, and it was perhaps expected that we would also cry. But soon after we arrived, the psychologist had to catch the fast boat over to the mainland. And that was it, says Farstad. She also remembers that they were offered, and accepted, to talk to someone before the first trial. But since Smøla is a small municipality, and most people know each other, the family felt that the offer they received was a little too close. They wanted someone off the island. – But the municipality couldn’t afford to get it, so there was nothing either. In a new TV series on news, Leo Ajkic meets some of the country’s most dangerous people. They are serving an indefinite prison sentence. Among them is the woman who confessed to the murder of the 6-year-old from Smøla. Requires more expertise Pål Kristensen is a professor at the University of Bergen and a psychology specialist. He has done a lot of research on families who have lost children to murder, and says the help they get is not good enough. These are people who often struggle with their mental health for a long time after the incident. – A sudden and violent death gives a more complicated type of grief. There are often traumatic aspects to such losses. And you struggle much more with thoughts, fantasies and ruminations that hinder the mourning process to a greater extent than in the case of an expected death. When something like this happens, it is primarily the municipalities that are responsible for crisis management. But since this rarely happens, especially in small municipalities, the researcher believes that perhaps there should be other offers for this group. – There may be little experience in the individual municipality to provide good enough help. And it is difficult to obtain this competence. We have considered the idea that more central and nationwide offers should be established. As was done after the terrorist attack in Norway in 2011, says Kristensen to news. Pål Kristensen is a professor at the University of Bergen and a psychology specialist. He believes that small municipalities do not necessarily have the knowledge to follow up relatives after a child has been killed. Photo: University of Bergen – No reason to think otherwise Birgit Iversen Eckhoff is the municipal director of Smøla. She says it is difficult for them to say anything about what the follow-up was like 24 years ago. As of today, there are few or no-one in the municipality who were employed at that time. – As municipal director today, I have to deal with what Wenche and the family describe that they experienced. I have no reason to think otherwise. When asked if she thinks they would have been better equipped for such a situation today, Eckhoff replies as follows: – Smøla municipality had a stable health service in 2000. But the municipalities are probably better equipped in some areas in 2024. Focus on and expertise in crisis management is generally prioritized. We have closer cooperation with neighboring municipalities, the second-line service and the police. Having said that, such a case would be very demanding for a municipality like Smøla today as well. More focus on the perpetrator? Researcher Pål Kristensen says that many bereaved people feel that after a murder, the attention is more focused on rehabilitating the perpetrator and less on the bereaved. And here the Correctional Service has a responsibility for the inmates, he explains. – But there is no equivalent care service for survivors of murder. Many feel left to fend for themselves, and have to find someone who can help them with what they have experienced. The researcher goes on to say that losing someone to murder can make the grieving process even more difficult. – There are additional factors that cause more stress. This could be media coverage, court proceedings and not least the need to know whether the perpetrator will be released or given leave. We are not good enough here either, says Line Duesund Svendsen. She is a legal advisor at Stine Sofie’s Foundation. Want better notification Svendsen believes the victims are often forgotten in such cases. And that the rules for notification among survivors should be changed. – The notification routines are part of looking after the victims. We believe these rules are far too bad. – If an inmate changes prisons today, are you not entitled to such information? – No. Line Duesund Svendsen is a legal adviser at Stine Sofies Stiftelse. Photo: Victoria Marie Nordahl / news Svendsen also says that the information in the notifications to survivors often varies from place to place. And that it is difficult to put into words how serious this situation actually is for the victims. – Many say they live with extreme fear in their everyday lives. This insecurity comes on top of the burden they already have. – Great understanding Line Wilberg is head of section in the Directorate of Correctional Services. In an e-mail to news, she writes the following: – We have great understanding that victims and survivors need better and more notification. Therefore, we believe that both the regulations and practice relating to reporting should be revised, so that consideration of the perceived safety of victims and survivors of crime can be better taken care of. She goes on to say that nowadays people use a lot of discretion. And that there are several challenges related to notifying relatives. – The challenges relate both to the technical, practical and legal implementation. If we are to move in the direction of routine notification, first of all there will need to be changes to the law, among other things by introducing a duty to notify to a greater extent than the discretionary assessment that is currently carried out. – It should also be possible to notify in other situations such as the start of execution of a sentence and death. In order to notify, the correctional service also depends on the victim’s address being made known to us or available in public registers. Otherwise, we will be dependent on assistance from the police in order to carry out notification, says Wilberg. An appeal For Wenche Farstad in Smøla, the need for information about the perpetrator is not very important. But the fact that the person concerned is applying for leaves of absence and parole makes things more complicated. And then it becomes worse to process what has happened. Farstad is also struggling with several unanswered questions. – We know that Kim Eirik was killed, but we do not know when, where and why. There are details surrounding the murder that make me ponder. We never quite get answers – and there are a lot of questions! The boy was also found with the shoes on the wrong foot. – Kim Eirik never had his shoes on the wrong foot, says the mother. Wenche Farstad believes better follow-up of survivors should be in place. Photo: Private Psychology Specialist Pål Kristensen has a clear call for people who know someone experiencing such a situation. – There is a lot to be gained by daring and being a fellow human being. Get in touch with the families – not just afterwards. Dare to be the one who is close to them, even if you don’t have the answers to everything. It is important that you dare to show care, stand a little burden and break with these families. – And that cannot be repeated often enough, says the researcher. Published 13.09.2024, at 06.51
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Families who lose children to murder do not get enough help over time, says researcher – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
