Minister Sanner meets representatives from Tysfjord

Sámediggi Sametinget Vibeke Larsen , TysfjordSami Parliament President Vibeke Larsen, Photo: Jan Roger Østby

Minister Sanner meets representatives from Tysfjord

Minister of the Interior, Jan Tore Sanner (Conservatives), has a meeting with representatives from Tysfjord Municipality on Wednesday how to handle the 120 abuse cases in the municipality.

 

The County Governor of Nordland and other key players in the follow-up work will also attend. The initiative for the meeting came after the Sami President Vibeke Larsen in May sent an open letter to the Government with an appeal for the national authorities to engage. She referred to the many abuse cases in the small Nordland municipality as a national tragedy.

– I have been contacted by victims of abuse, saying that the municipality does not provide the help they need. The extent of the tragedy has become so big that it is not realistic to believe that a small municipality will be able to handle this alone, writes the Sami President in the letter.

More than 80 suspects

The police in Nordland investigate over 120 cases of sexual abuse in Tysfjord. In total, more than 80 people are suspected, among them one person charged with eleven cases. All the suspects live in Tysfjord. Minister of the Interior, Jan Tore Sanner (Conservatives), says the descriptions rise both dismay and deep concern.

– The greater society has a responsibility to contribute when a local community experiences such a serious situation like this. This is a community that is affected by a crisis, and both people and the municipality need assistance, says Sanner.

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