Barnevernet’s first official reaction about Bodnariu family and laws in Norway

The Bodnariu family’s case in Norway, separated from the five children in December, has sparked extensive debate in the public and triggered a wave of reactions in the Romanian society and beyond.
In an exclusive interview for Ziare.com, the Child Welfare Service in Norway, Barnevernet, conveyed that “according to the Norwegian Children’s Act, religious reasons may not lie beneath a child’s placement in custody.”
“The Norwegian legislation is based on child’s interests. The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, and Norway ratified the Convention in 1991.
Child protection cases must be resolved in accordance with Norwegian laws. Norway has incorporated into its laws the UN Convention on Child’s Rights. The UN Convention emphasizes that the state in which the child lives has a duty to protect the child in accordance with the national laws. The Norwegian Child Protection Act (CWA) underlines this responsibility. (…) CWA applies to all children in Norway, regardless of their residential status, nationality or citizenship,” the Barnevernet representatives say.
The Norwegian officials underscore that “an order of placement is issued by the Regional Council of Social Protection or by the District Court only if there are serious deficiencies in daily care or if the child is ill-treated or subjected to other serious violent abuse or is neglected at home.”
At the same time, a condition for the issuance of an order of placement is “it is necessary for the child’s situation and is in the interest of the child. A care order cannot be sent if voluntary measures are taken, that can provide satisfactory conditions for the child.”
In the full interview with the Barnevernet representatives, the Norwegian officials explain how an investigation is conducted, when and in which situations the international adoption procedure begins, and what the parents who abuse their children are risking.

In another development, Romanian Ombudsman Victor Ciorbea has received an answer from the Norwegian Ombudsman to the address sent on December 23, 2015 in the Bodnariu family case. The Norwegian Ombudsman says there is no reason to investigate the Bodnariu case, the responsibility being on the District Governor. The Ombudsman can proceed to control the public authorities only after they have managed a certain case. The document received underscores that the placement orders for the children were issued by the Social Welfare District Committee and that the parents have the right to a fair trial, including a lawyer paid by the government, have the right to be heard and to appeal against the decision of the District Committee.

Read also: http://www.romaniajournal.ro/bodnariu-family-case-in-norway-we-hope-for-fast-clarification-without-reaching-an-inflamed-situation-government-spokesman-says/

http://www.romaniajournal.ro/26-romanian-children-separated-from-their-families-in-norway-in-the-past-5-years/