The government wants to make parenting courses a compulsory part of the introduction program for refugees.
“There is a lot that’s new when you come to Norway. Child raising in Norway is different to other countries,’’ said Jan Tore Sanner of Høyre (H), Minister of Knowledge and Integration.
He has commissioned the Directorate for Integration and Diversity (IMDI) and the Directorate of Competence Norway to suggest how parental guidance can be incorporated into the introductory program which the municipalities hold for refugees coming to the country.
“We need to support newly arrived refugees who are parents better, so they can be even better support for their children. Understanding parenting and children’s rights in a modern Norwegian society is crucial. This means what freedom Norwegian children have and their rights. Forcible marriage is illegal, violence against children is illegal and disciplinary schooling abroad is not legal,’’ said Sanner.
He said many municipalities already have parental guidance courses in the introductory program and have had good experiences.
The measure is one of several Sanner launched during an integration conference in Kristiansand on Friday. The government has announced that it will present its own integration strategy in the autumn, and Sanner has previously said that action against negative social control is an important part of the work.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
