Rapid growth in number of forced removal of toddlers

The number of adoptions of children in foster care has doubled since 2011, NRK Rogaland informed in 2014.
https://www.nrk.no/rogaland/flere-adopterer-fosterbarn-1.11742354

"When we take children from their parents, it is a dramatic decision and we never do it unless we have very good evidence over time that there is no opportunity to improve the situation at home, says Barnevernet manager in Sandnes, Trygve Apeland, in above article.
In an effort to follow the ministry's invitation, the "Baby Bank» was established, as an alternative to traditional foster homes for children from 0-2 years. The intent is permanent placement outside of the home. The main intention is the adoption of foster-children."

Apeland does not provide examples on how "very good evidence over time" is obtained about conditions that could conceivably occur in the future.

TV2 News tell that the amount of newborns taken into state custody in Norway has tripled since 2008. The channel does not say where in the country the numbers apply.
Mari Trommald, Director of Children, Youth and Family Affairs believes this is a good development.
http://www.tv2.no/nyheter/8219203/

According to the European Court of Human Rights and the European Human Rights Convention, the placement of a child outside of his or her home, is to be regarded a temporary measure, aimed at return to the parents.

Parents who have experienced being violated by the Norwegian authorities (Barnevernet), are encouraged to share their story with the Council of Europe, where a survey has been initiated, on further investigation of whether the Norwegian authorities violate the European  Human Right Convention in child care issues.

Send a short and concise overview, one to two pages, in English,
to the Council of Europe.

These e-mail addresses are recommended:

 

Maren LAMBRECHT@coe.int

Tanja KLEINSORGE@coe.int

 

The International Criminal Court has also accepted a general claim on alledged violations on the Rome Statute. You can make a difference. Keep reading!

 

 

Competent professionals?

The Child Welfare Act in Norway also show that the placement of children from their homes, should be as brief as possible, and that Barnevernet undertakes to supervise and follow up the parents, or refer to a support system, if the parents do not want the guidance of Barnevernet, to improve the situation so the children can return to their home.

United Nations Convention on the Right of the Child also emphasizes that if a public care order is required for a period of time, the child has the right to frequent and continuous contact with his or her parents, and that the decision about the removal of the child, must be undertaken by an independent, tribunal court, and the situation must be assessed by competent professionals. Norway, as a state party to these conventions, have committed themselves to abide by these.

Yet decisions about public care orders in the country, are made by a public administrative body, which is not a tribunal court, Fylkesnemd, or county appeal board, by members of the board, not judges. This custom is not merely violating the CRC, but also the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Considering that members of the county appeal board and experts in child welfare cases often have close ties to Barnevernet, a fact which also aroused the state channel NRK's interest and was mentioned in the documentary Hidden Ties, (Skjulte bånd), in 2014, it is not surprising that the percentage of pursuance in favor of the authorities is above 90% in Fylkesnemd (county appeal board) and District Court, where the judges often share personal ties and connections with employees of Barnevernet, too.
Several lawyers have expressed discontent over the practice, among others lawyer Marie Sølverud, saying "It does not help what you say or what witnesses you lead. Whatever you do, you have lost the case. My colleagues and I did not feel that the county appeal board undertakes a substantive review of child care decision", to Dagbladet, August 13th, 2016. Attorney Venil Thiis has also criticized the high percentage of pursuance in favor of the state, in Norwegian child welfare cases.

It is also members of the board who make the first decision on public care order, at the request of the manager of the local Barnevernet, and it is the same board members subsequently assessing whether the decision was justified.
Accordingly, families who have been subjected to division by force, have virtually no legal protection, and the way the system is structured, acquaintances of employees of Barnevernet and the county appeal board, can easily obtain extra income through housing foster children, and even solve the challenge of infertility through the state run Baby-Bank.

 

More on International Law, here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

"The Baby Bank", an inhuman solution to infertility and economy?

"When Barnevernet recruits foster homes to the Baby Bank, it is considering that the baby can be put up for adoption. They take the baby into foster-care, in terms of later adoption," Apeland explains to TV2.
Barnevernet and Department of Children and Equality argue that adoption gives the youngest children more rights.
https://www.nrk.no/rogaland/flere-adopterer-fosterbarn-1.11742354

The article shows Leikny Lunde Martinsen from Stavanger who "Became a mom after having a foster child." The family who could not have their own children,  decided to go for another solution, to become foster parents. The baby girl came to the foster home only 6 months old, and ended up being put up for adoption, and denied her human rights. A new baby from the Baby Bank has entered the family, who say they could not be feeling better.
The article does not say whether the second child gets her human rights met in foster care with family Lunde Martinson, by continuous and frequent contact with her parents, and if the child is placed in foster care with family members, or if this child, among many others, is located far from her familiy, separated from her siblings, and arbitrarily denied contact with their them.

 

In the forum "WishChildren", "Forumet Ønskebarn", with focus on involuntary infertility, we see state employees in occupations related to children, discuss their ambitions of having foster-children, how easy it is to register as foster-parents, and the short waiting time involved.

 

 

Photo by: Ken Joar Olsen, Justice for Baby Aria




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from: http://forum.onskebarn.no/faq

 

Considering the fact that people in these occupations are a large source of concern reports to Barnevernet, along with Barnevernet's demonstrably low threshold for removing children from their families, it  is easy to envisage that people working with children, have easy access to foster children, consequently, increased income, and a solution to infertility.
A relevant fact is that many employees in connection with Barnevernet, such as the national child welfare and foster care recruitment agency Buf-etat, have foster children themselves. A grotesque example is the story of the child who could have, in accordance with the Child Welfare Act and international conventions, become placed into foster-care with her older sister, but was forcibly placed away from her entire family, with an unemployed sister of the Barnevernet case worker. In another case, a child was forcibly placed with the case worker herself.
http://www.advokatsylte.no/rett-og-urett/solgte-barnevernbarn-til-soster

 

Buf-etat also run family- and maternity institutions, where

 

 

 

List over basic income rates for state emplyees in foster-care (foster-parents). The list does not show  the addittional income for "enforced" foster-homes, foster-homes at secret addresses, foster-care of children with special needs/diagnoses, and so forth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.ks.no/fagomrader/utdanning-og-oppvekst/barnevern/veiledende-satser-for-fosterhjem-og-besokshjem/

 

 

 

 

The system based on arbitrariness, and the authorities' inability to address the families' legal rights, also opens up for state employees who work with children, to pick out a child, then submit an expression of concern to Barnevernet on the parents, to get the child into foster-care, thus raising their income drastically. With little evaluation and supervision of foster homes, along with the high dismissal statistics on child abuse in state custody, children virtually have no protection against being subjected to various forms of exploitation and abuse once within the system, where children are left defenseless. The closed system of close ties between employees of various government agencies, and the lack of legal protection for families, paves way for possible persecution and politically motivated abduction, as well as retaliation from individuals.

Credits to Ken Joar Olsen for tip and source information .
 

 

 

It must be emphasized that systematic child abduction constitute crimes against humanity, crimes under international law -without a statute of limitation. This means that anyone involved in, or in any way supporting these crimes, is personally, criminally responsible for their actions, even when acting under orders from a superior, and may be prosecuted at any time during their lifetime.

 

ShutUp! Media recommends that victims of systematic abduction of children submit their testimonies to the International Criminal Court, the ICC,  as they have accepted a general complaint on alleged violation of the Rome Statute finding plavce in Norway. (Investigation has not been opened.)
The report can be done in English or French, as accurately and concisely as possible.
Note that you can not report an organ, like Barnevernet, to the ICC, nor one Barnevernet case, but rather (named) individuals who have participated in systematically causing serious harm to others. To further show for the systematic and widespread occurance of child abduction in Norway , witnesses are consequently encouraged to share their experiences and any evidence with the ICC.

Support form for the testimony can be downloaded from the bottom of this page: