Inside the small office in the Red Cross building in the center of Oslo, Ingjerd Karstensen has heard many despairing voices, and received unhappy messages on the screen. She never quite knows what to expect. Maybe it’s a teacher with an empty desk and a bad gut feeling. Or a young person who is afraid of what their own family might come up with. Sometimes the message comes from another country, often far away from Norway. – Many who make contact have been abroad for a long time. It is not a matter of weeks, but preferably many months. They have tried to fix it on their own, but now they are so desperate that they are asking for help. The Red Cross hotline for negative social control and honor-related violence is open to everyone. AAnonymous:AnonymousI really want to get out of here asap. I am not allowed to eat and I am treated like garbage. The message above is from one of those who are forced to stay abroad against their will. Some are located in villages far from big cities. They may be deprived of their mobile phone and passport. Others are also physically confined. So far this year, the Red Cross has received 15 cases of children and young people who are staying in another country against their will, or who are afraid of becoming so. – This is almost a doubling from eight cases in the whole of 2023, says Ingjerd . But the people who seek help from Ingjerd and her colleagues make up only a small proportion. No one knows how many. The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI) also reports several inquiries this year. – We are seeing an increase in people who have contacted IMDI’s diversity advisers because they fear being taken abroad involuntarily, says Marit Mosnesset, senior communications adviser at IMDI. So far this year, more than 60 people have received assistance related to this, roughly the same number as the whole of last year. Whether the increase is due to more people being affected, or to more people asking for help, no one knows. The dark figures are large anyway. Before and after summer are often holidays for inquiries, says Ingjerd in the Red Cross. Photo: Ingrid Cogorno / news Now, just over a month after the start of school, many schools across the country are working to find out why pupils have not returned to the classroom. – There can be many reasons why some students do not attend, and one of them can be involuntary absence, says Mosnesset in IMDI. How many does it apply to? Involuntary stays abroad are complex matters that are difficult to measure in numbers. At the Norwegian embassies in Amman, Ankara, Islamabad and Nairobi, there are special envoys for integration matters from IMDI, who contribute consular assistance to Norwegian citizens abroad. Last year, they gave advice and guidance in 245 cases, most of which dealt with involuntary residence abroad. Most were girls, and the cases mostly involved people with origins in Iraq, Somalia, Russia, Pakistan and Syria, according to IMDI. In 2022, the number was 235, and 172 of them concerned involuntary residence abroad. In a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Oslo Economics previously estimated that more than 700 children were left behind abroad between 2016 and 2018. – Do not travel – I was told that one we have followed up is on his way home now. Ingjerd i Røde Kors does not take such updates for granted. If the person has first traveled out of the country, it is very difficult to get them back to Norway again. – We have no authority, but can be a supporting and coordinating party. But there are major limitations to what the Norwegian authorities can also do within other countries’ borders. Monitoring and control, together with confiscation of passports and telephones, mean that many will probably never be asked for help. Ingjerd reads out another message they have received: AAnonymous :Anonymous Hello. My phone was taken away and a lot of violent things happened. That’s why I didn’t answer. “Don’t travel”. It is the most important thing Ingjerd gives to children and young people who have a bad stomach feeling before a holiday trip. But that is easier said than done. – They are tricked into going on holiday. Very often they have never imagined that this could happen, you believe in your family. Ingjerd and his colleagues in the Red Cross try to reach young people through social media. Photo: Ingrid Cogorno / news The bad feeling – My impression is that there are very many young people who have not necessarily experienced it themselves, but who know someone who has. Marta Oltedal Lyngstad sits on the school grounds of Bjørnholt upper secondary school in Oslo. Here, she has worked as a diversity advisor for over four years. Through her contact with young people in various parts of the city, she knows of young people who have most likely been left abroad in recent years. They still have not returned. – For the vast majority of people, a holiday is a great experience. But every year there are some young people who have a bad feeling, she says. Before the holidays, she therefore visits the classes to inform. – It is not relevant for all students, but perhaps someone has a friend or neighbor that may apply. Diversity adviser Marta Oltedal Lyngstad also emphasizes that there is very little the Norwegian authorities can do if you are held abroad against your will. Photo: Ingrid Cogorno / news Who are they? The countries mentioned in various reports include Somalia, Iraq, Syria, Russia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Poland and Afghanistan. Both boys and girls above and below legal age are victims of involuntary stays abroad. Often there is a triggering situation that has arisen in advance. An expert group appointed by the government published a report in 2020 on, among other things, involuntary stays abroad. The reasons and motives for taking a child abroad were summarized in seven points: Therefore, children and young people are exposed to involuntary stays abroad Restoring the family’s honor Forced marriages Avoiding drugs and crime Preventing “Norwegianization” and strengthening cultural belonging Lack of trust in public institutions and support device Parental dispute Difficult life situation in Norway news has previously told the story of Norwegian children who are sent to brutal Koranic schools in Somalia, a problem that has apparently increased recently. Want to change the legislation Those who succeed in returning to Norway often face major challenges. They have no job or place to live, and their schooling is interrupted. They have also often fallen from Norwegian registers, rights and services. But parents or others who are responsible for the whole thing can go free of punishment. In recent years, a committee has examined whether the legislation protects children and young people well enough against, among other things, involuntary stays abroad. In June this year, the conclusion was reached: – Norway has no legal authority to refuse residence abroad, and no authority for punishment either, says Henriette Sinding Aasen, professor at the Faculty of Law at UiB. Henriette Sinding Aasen, professor at the Faculty of Law at UiB. Photo: UIB / UIB She led the committee, and explains that they are proposing two concrete changes. That harmful involuntary stays abroad should be able to be prosecuted. That the children’s services should be able to make emergency decisions on travel bans to prevent children being taken abroad, where there is a imminent danger that the child will be exposed to a harmful stay abroad. The proposals have been sent for consultation. This is the bill § 269 Harmful stays abroad: Anyone who sends or takes a child for whom he or she has parental responsibility abroad is punished with fines or imprisonment of up to 3 years in circumstances a. which put the child’s life or health in serious danger, or b. which entails a serious risk of the child being exposed to actions that involve a violation of the Criminal Code §§ 251 (coercion), 253 (forced marriage), 253 a (child marriage), 254 (deprivation of liberty), 257 (trafficking in human beings), 259 (slavery), 263 ( threats), 266 (reckless behaviour), 271 (bodily injury), 273 (bodily injury), 275 (murder), 282 (abuse in close relationships), 284 (genital mutilation), 288 (being left in a helpless state, etc.), 291 (rape ), 294 (grossly negligent rape), 295 (abuse of superior power and the like), 296 (sexual intercourse with inmates etc. in an institution), 299 (rape of children under 14), 302 (sexual intercourse with children between 14 and 16 years), 304 (sexual acts with children under the age of 16), 305 (sexually offensive behavior etc. towards children under 16), 309 (purchase of sexual services from minors), 312 (incest), 313 (sibling incest) or 314 (sexual intercourse between other close relatives). Anyone who leaves a child for whom he or she has parental responsibility, abroad under conditions as mentioned in the first paragraph, is punished in the same way. Anyone who allows a child for whom the person has parental responsibility to be sent to, taken to or left abroad under the conditions mentioned in the first paragraph, or who fails to intervene against an ongoing stay abroad which entails such danger for the child, is punished in the same way . Punishment according to the first to third paragraphs can be waived for the person who contributes to the child’s return to Norway. Children’s Protection Act: The majority of the committee also proposes that a provision be introduced in the Child Protection Act, where the child protection authorities can issue an exit ban for children who are in imminent danger of being exposed to a harmful stay abroad. Violation of the ban must be punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to two years. Source: NOU 2024: 13 “Law and freedom” Deep wounds – For many parents, there is desperation behind, especially where boys are involved in crime or drugs. Some parents see no other option to get them out of the environment than to get them out of the country, explains Ingjerd Karstensen in the Red Cross. But even though parents often want the best for their children, such an experience can be very traumatizing, according to Karstensen. It is not just practical challenges they face after returning to Norway. Often they also carry deep wounds. Ingjerd emphasizes that everyone can remain anonymous if they wish, and that there is a low threshold for contacting the Red Cross telephone. Photo: n23376 Those who want to get out of the situation often have to choose between themselves or their family. – Many of those we support have seen no other solution than to break with the family. It is an incredibly painful battle to be in. She hopes that both teachers and others who interact with children and young people keep their eyes and ears open if they suspect that there is a risk of involuntary stays abroad. – Go ahead and talk to the person. We all have a duty to prevent. Published 05.10.2024, at 17.42
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Children and young people are left abroad by the family – Greater Oslo
