Red Cross: – forcible marriage causing problems for minors trying to return to Norway

Red dressed peopleRed dressed people.Red Cross.Photo: Cornelius Poppe / Scanpix

Parents who forcibly marry their children abroad also decide whether children will be returning to Norway, according to the Red Cross, which says Norwegian legislation creates major problems for children and adolescents who are forced into marriage.

Red Cross told TV 2 that they are struggling to help children and young people who against their will are sent abroad to be forced into marriage.

– One of our challenges is that there are parents who basically decide where the children will live, says Line Aarseth Bakke, adviser to the Red Cross helpline on forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

The organization has several examples of cases where children against their will are sent out of Norway, and where you have to wait until children are at least 18 before it is possible to help them return to Norway.

– It is a challenge to be issued emergency passports for children under 18 years. If children have not turned 18 they should have parental consent. And without it we fall short, says Bakke.

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today