More children and youngsters left overseas last year

Minister of Education and Integration Jan Tore Sanner (Conservative Party).Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix

At least 65 children and adolescents were left abroad against their will last year. The real number may be far higher.

Integration Advisors reported 65 cases last year, regarding children and young people who were involuntarily left abroad. The previous year there were 56 cases.

At the same time, the Competence Team reported  a total of 107 cases dealing with overseas stays. 79 of these cases were categorized as involuntary stays, whilst other issues are related to other matters , including possible forced marriages or violence. There was an increase up from 79 cases in 2016 and 59 from 2015.

According to the Ministry of Education, there is a large degree of overlap between the cases reported by the Integration Advisors and the Competence Team.

In addition, the Minority Advisors revealed that a total of 239 new cases were reported to the Diversity and Integration Directorate, NRK reports.

Most of these cases concern prevention of social control in Norway. 20 cases were about children and young people who were left abroad against their will. This was a doubling from the previous year.

Integration Minister Jan Tore Sanner (H) says it is unacceptable that children and young people leave to live overseas.

– They are deprived of their right to attend school. They are deprived of friends and their home environment in Norway, and many are forced to attend diciplinary schools and face violence, he says to NRK.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today