28 cases of abuse in Norwegian schools

Children learning school abuseChildren Learning. Photo: Pixabay.com

At least 28 cases of abuse in Norwegian schools and kindergartens in 2017

In 2017 there were at least 28 abuse cases where employees in Norwegian schools and kindergartens were indicted, charged or convicted of child abuse, reports Education News (Utdanningsnytt). 

 

The 28 cases in 2017 are a very significant increase from the average of about eleven cases per year in the seven-year period 2010 to 2016, according to Utdanningsnytt.

The cases from 2017 apply to 18 employees in school and ten kindergarten employees. The number of verdicts in 2017 ended at 16. The average for the seven previous years is nine verdicts a year.

Head of Educational Federation, Steffen Handal, says attempts at school can be very difficult to reveal. No schools or kindergartens have any assurance that this can not happen to them, he believes.

– Therefore prevention is so important. We must pay close attention and constantly act so that we support children and students to inform, says Handal.

Head of section for sex offenses in Kripos, Laila Søndrol, says the extent of reported sexual abuse against children has increased radically in recent years.

– Child abuse is committed every day at the places children are staying, also in kindergarten and at schools. There is reason to believe that there are still large numbers not being reported, she says.

The increase in registered cases of abuse against children may have several reasons.

– More transparency about sexual assault and lower threshold to report may be a cause. The internet-related assault cases, where a single perpetrator can reach hundreds of offenders, is attributed to a part of the increase, Søndrol says.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today