– On the outside we looked tough and angry, but inside we were hurting. We were children who had a very difficult time, says Glorija. Together with 7–8 other girls, she made the streets of Kristiansand unsafe in 2015 and 2016. The girl gang got drunk, escaped from institutions and rioted against the police. In recent weeks, news has reported that young girls as young as 13 are spreading fear in Kristiansand. They punch, punch and kick random victims while the violence is filmed and spread online. Glorija gets frustrated and sad when she reads about politicians who want to lower the criminal minimum age and give young people more punishment. – Adults do not understand the consequences of punishing young people who are in pain. It just causes them to build a wall in front of their hearts like we did. Grew up with drugs and violence For her, it was only when she was met with love and understanding that life got on the right track. Glorija moved to Kristiansand in her early teens. She lived both in foster homes and in institutions. – The common denominator in our group was that we had a hard time. Several had grown up with drugs or violence. We kind of understood each other. It quickly became “them” against the adults. Glorija and the other girls felt that the adults did not understand them. At school, they were met with punishment, reprimands and expulsions. Child protection instituted behavioral measures. – They were more concerned with pointing fingers and giving consequences than understanding where it came from, giving us love and showing that we have a place in society, she says. The 24-year-old says that all this made it worse. – At the institution, the last trust was destroyed. Neither concern talks with the police, juvenile punishment or prison helped. Glorija and her friends party on the roof of the police station in the summer of 2016. They really enjoyed sitting up there. Photo: Private – We have to live with what we have done She believes that the solution for the past ten years has been the same: More punitive measures, better interdisciplinary cooperation and more police on the streets, but that it is not working. – That only makes it worse. We can’t do more of the same things that don’t work, we have to think again, she says. Glorija says that she does not defend children and young people who commit violence or what she and her gang did. – We have to live with what we have done, and it was not good, but the only thing that works is to listen and show these young people understanding. She adds: – No child wakes up in the morning thinking that today I’m going to beat someone. But when things become impossible inside you and adults don’t understand, then that is the only solution you feel you have. Challenges the director of education Glorija makes a challenge to the director of education in Kristiansand. – If I had been the head of education in Kristiansand, I would have invited these girls to the office and asked them what is going on. I wanted to say: “We need your advice because there is obviously something we can’t do. What will it take to put a stop to this? You are our children and we want to get advice from you”. Education director Kristin Eidet Robstad says there are people from her office out there trying to ask those questions. – As director of education, it is nice to meet young people, but sometimes we build those relationships through others who are closer to us. Development director in Kristiansand Kristin Eidet Robstad says it is important that young people who are struggling get to decide things in their own lives, as Glorija points out. Photo: Heidi Ditlefsen / news Was searched by the police Glorija is also critical of how the police treated them. According to her, they were stopped several times on the street for no reason. They were then taken to the police station where they were body searched. – The police chose to meet our gang with force. They met hard with hard. It only built a greater resistance in us. Section leader for investigations at Kristiansand police station Harald Hollerud says that the police apologize if anyone is left with such a feeling about the police’s work. – Together with the municipality, health and child protection, our desire will always be to work with, and not against, children and young people, while we also have to protect society at large from the consequences of their actions, he says. Hollerud adds that it is difficult to comment on individuals and matters that go back so far in time, without knowing the identity of those involved. Harald Hollerud at the police in Agder says they always want to work with and not against children and young people. Photo: Jon Anders Møllen / news The way out For Glorija, there were several things that got her out of the negative spiral. She got a contact person in child protection who took her seriously. Among other things, she was allowed to move into a foster home, even though there was then a greater chance that she would become intoxicated. – They let me decide and cooperated with me by asking: What do you need? Where do you want to live? It was absolutely crucial. The contact person also gave her a lot of love and warmth, something she had not encountered in the system before. She also found something to do that made sense, namely Forandringsfabrikken where she works as a volunteer. – There, the bad I have experienced can be turned into something good. I get to turn shit into gold. The change factory saved my life. Glorija believes that young people who use violence against others must be stopped, but that it will not work if it is not done in ways that are felt to be safe. Photo: Inger Kristine Lee / news Melt the ice in front of the heart The 24-year-old is concerned that strict frameworks and punishment push children away. She believes adults must refrain from demonstrating agency and power. – We protected ourselves by being tough and pretending we didn’t care, but inside we gave up. Glorija says that she has a good life today. – I’ve had my ups and downs now and then, but it’s generally much better that way. Today I am getting help to process my trauma. She has the following advice for everyone who works with children who are struggling: – Remember that there is a reason why children do what they do. We must find out that reason, melt the ice before their hearts and give them a meaning in life. We must show that they are our children and that we want them in society. Hello! Do you have thoughts on this matter or want to give advice on other topics that concern you? Feel free to send me an email!
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Glorija believes that young people who commit violence must be met in a different way – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
