Many abused children do not get medical examinations

kindergartenOslo, illustration kindergarten: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix

Only 17 percent of children who are victims of violence and abuse receive medical examinations by a physician. The reason is lack of financial resources to hospitals.

This according to the children’s houses, where children exposed to violence and sexual abuse are sent to after questioning by police.
According to figures from the Police Directorate there w ere 4725 children questioned in Norway last year and 83 per cent of them did not get required medical examinations, said TV2 news.

– Children have been stabbed, cut, burned, and given lashes on the back. It may be that they have lived in the torture-like conditions throughout their entire life. We are no longer surprised at what children can have gone through, says the head of pediatrics House in Oslo, Inger Johanne Pettersen.

For the reported cases to go to trial, there is a need for physical evidence – something which is not possible when 87 percent of children are not being examined. Director at the Children house in Hamar, Ingjerd Kagnes, said that lack of resources may mean that offenders will go free.

– It’s a required resource. It is critical and there is a poor compliance for the youngest and most vulnerable in our society, says Kagnes.

Health Minister Bent Høie is not agreeing.

– the hospitals get money, and that means they must prioritize the resources, he says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today