As many readers of this blog are aware, for quite some time I have been concerned about government organizations that are supposed to be in the business of helping parents raise their families. In many cases the exact opposite happens; children are taken from their parents for no good reason whatsoever. This happens in many places in our world but I have focused on Norway because of the particularly egregious cases there that I began learning about in 2016. I am keeping informed of the situation there and, as far as I can tell, things are as bad as they’ve ever been. Besides excellent articles I read coming out of Norway, I have also kept track of several social media sources where parents affected by the strange philosophies of these “helpful” government organizations share their stories. At the end of this year I am sharing one social media statement to illustrate an example of what I am referring to. This mother lives in Denmark which has a “Child Welfare System” very much like Norway’s. She follows and engages with Norwegian parents who are in the same situation. I chose her statement because Mia’s English is very good and I think she expresses feelings that many of the affected parents experience.
Chris Reimers
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Justice and Respect Are Not Too Much to Ask For
And now December begins. For many it is a month filled with joy, warmth, coziness and anticipation. A month where families come together and find peace in each other.
But for those of us affected by the system, December feels different.
Why would one decorate for Christmas when the family is torn apart?
How do you find the Christmas spirit when you are reminded every day of what you have lost?
We live in a society where we are expected to carry on as if nothing happened. The fact that we “wear it nicely”. That we just have to function.
But the truth is that many families have been divided because of:
– liars
– misunderstandings
– bad stomach feelings
– lack of professionalism
– lack of resources and support
None of us were perfect.
But no humans are perfect.
Everyone can learn. Anyone can grow.
The system should also be able to.
We talk so much about self-insight and mentalization – but the truth is that neither municipalities nor politicians live up to those concepts.
Instead, many families face a cold system, where help never comes, and where the consequence is the hardest: to lose their child.
December should be the time for families.
Instead, far too many are sitting alone, separated from the ones they love, without the opportunity to celebrate Christmas like everyone else.
This post is not about pity.
It’s all about fairness.
And to remind the community that there are families who do not celebrate anything this year – not because they don’t want to, but because their family has been taken from them.
For those of you who are not affected:
You are lucky to be able to celebrate Christmas with your children and family.
Just think for a moment about those who are not allowed.
A little understanding. A little bit of spaciousness. A little bit of humanity.
It costs nothing but means everything.
Happy December to those who celebrate.
And to the rest of us:
There must be room for us too.
It is not taboo to say out loud what hurts.
Justice and respect are not too much to ask for.
Take care of yourselves.
From: The Folket vs Barnevernet Facebook page
Wings of the Wind 
Chris, I have read your previous posts on this issue and also read about the fact that Norway has one of the worst human rights abuses in the world, in regard to “the system” removing children from their families. Even the international press have been exposing it. We’ve had similar trouble in Ireland but nothing as bad as what appears to be going on in Norway. Thank you for highlighting this again. I hate to hear about situations like this and pray that the Lord would over-rule. Are you from a Norwegian background?
Hi Elizabeth. I really appreciate your comment and you are very welcome. And you are spot on. This problem seems to be one that affects most European nations and it is a problem in the U.S. as well. Norway, however, seems to have turned this into an industry of sorts. It is very sad how Norway just ignores condemnation from the European Court of Human Rights. The court has made many statements about how bad this is as they’ve looked at certain cases. Because the ECHR has no way to put pressure on Norway to change except for the bad press, Norwegian officials have decided to completely ignore any statements from the ECHR.
Thank you for your prayers. Many Christians led some of the world wide protests against the Norwegian Child Protection Services (called Barnevernet) back in 2016. That protest did get a positive result. The family that had been so mis-judged were reunited and are now in a different country. The parents in that situation may still be in danger of going to jail if they ever set foot in Norway again.
I do not have a Norwegian background, but I do know that both of my parents had ancestors in Europe. My father’s ancestors came to the U.S. from the Austria/Germany area.
What got me interested in this subject is my concern for children. Having been a teacher for 1/3rd of my working life, I have a special spot in my heart for children. It upsets me, as it does you, when I hear of these kinds of things. My research into Norway leaves no question about what is going on. The cases at the European Court of Human Rights leaves no doubt for those who think this is some sort of conspiracy theory. Added to that, there are people in all walks of life in Norway who have been brave to speak up about this. On Tuesday, I will be publishing an article that Marianne Skanland has just written, mainly for my blog, about this update.
Thank you again, Elizabeth, for sharing the knowledge you have on the subject. I hope you have a great day!
Thanks for this post, Chris. Government is a necessary evil, however, it goes too far when trying to advance various social agendas.
You’re welcome, Tom, and I appreciate your comment. I couldn’t agree more with your statement here.
Social workers in Norway have been taught that biological family is of no particular importance to children. Imagine that. They don’t think biological parents make any difference. They may as well be raised by strangers, is their psychology, in many cases. I have studied the history about how this became a popular belief in Norway and it’s nothing but quackery. This is definitely an agenda of the worst kind.
This is the first I’ve heard about this sort of thing. To say this is evil is an understatement. I looked up the topic and came across a story about Christian parents who without cause had all five of their children taken away, including a newborn. They did eventually get their children back but what trauma that whole family endured. I’m surprised that more isn’t publicized about this. This will certainly go on our prayer list. How terrible! Thank you for posting about this topic, Chris.
You’re welcome, Cathy, and thank you so much for your concern. The story you looked up was probably about the Bodnariu Family. That story caused worldwide protests in 2016. I organized a protest in my hometown and Christians came out to protest. Yes, the Bodnarius have escaped to another country but I’ve heard that the parents could be arrested if they ever returned to Norway. I’ve used the term “evil” many times to describe what is going on. One would never think that something like this would be going on in a civilized country that calls itself a democracy. Still, similar things have and are happening in the U.S. There are several Facebook pages organized around the subject for American parents. A good amount of the publicity about this comes from citizens in other countries as countries where this happens typically look the other way. It is one of the reasons you haven’t heard about this problem.
Thank you for adding it to your prayer list.
God bless you!
You have spoken about this issue for a long time and it was one of the early memories I have of your blog
You have a good memory, Pastor Jim. I first became interested in this subject in 2015/2016. Since then the Norwegian Child Welfare Services has been found guilty of human right offenses by the European Court of Human Rights. Norway has ignored these decisions which have no punitive powers. So, things are as they were when I first started writing about this. Nothing has changed, sadly.
Wow has it been that long ago?
Yes, but I have put up something about this subject every year since 2016.
Yes I do recall
Thank you for continuing to speak about this year after year, even when it’s discouraging to see so little change. The consistency of your concern matters, especially for parents whose voices are often overlooked. Bringing their stories into the light, quietly and persistently, is not insignificant.
You’re welcome, Livora Gracely, and how kind of you to comment. You are so right about parents whose voices are often overlooked. Because a system like the one in Norway is so entrenched in the culture, it has withstood national embarrassment at the European Court of Human Rights and a substantial worldwide protest in 2016 as you may know. It has also received criticism from many different places. Still it persists as it has for decades.
At this point, bringing some of these stories into the light, as you noted, is all I can do…besides prayer. We both know how powerful prayer is.
Mia told me the same thing. She was appreciative of this post and said the same thing you have. I appreciate your comments. It is the least I can do to bring this up every so often to remind people that things really haven’t changed. Day after day passes and parents still don’t have their children back. I have several of those parents in my mind now. Their children were literally stolen from them for no good reason and they are living with that. My coverage of this tragic reality and my prayers will continue. I hope to do more on this in 2026 than I did this year.
Thank you for your encouragement and may God bless you!
One of my mom’s good friends splits time between the US and Norway. Listening to my mom’s friend I would have no idea issues such as this were prevalent. May God have mercy, may He open people’s eyes to the plight of children. Thank you for sharing this.
Thanks for stopping by, Mandy! It is amazing that anyone in Norway is not aware of the situation there but my understanding, from people who live there, is that there is so much positive talk about being a foster parent, and the money is good if you become one, that the cases that get negative international attention get overwhelmed.
There was a worldwide protest in 2016 that I was a part of and people gathered in major (and minor) cities across the world to protest the Norwegian Child Welfare Services which is called the Barnevernet. People were protesting one particular case that was handled awfully, but Norway has a bad reputation that is becoming better known all of the time. Cases like the ones I’ve described on my post over the years continue to happen. These types of problems do happen in many countries but Norway has been the focus because some of the cases there have been particularly egregious. I had a case even in my town of Hot Springs, Arkansas which I posted about here:
The family in my town got all of their children back after public uproar and due process was applied.
Other places that I’ve learned where this is a problem is the other Nordic countries, the U.K. and the U.S. besides others.
May God have mercy indeed and thank you for your interest!
God’s blessings…
I hope it’s ok to share this! So Barb (my mom’s friend) absolutely HATES and I mean HATES Trump. In Barb’s eyes Trump is the devil, his family and his admin are his minions. I wish I had known about the child welfare system in Norway, I would have asked her questions about how that isn’t demonic, wrong, evil, unjust etc.
It’s fascinating what people choose to pay attention to. As Christians we are called/commanded to care about the plight of children from both Testaments (Isa 1:17; James 1:27). Thank you again for bringing awareness to this issue!
It is certainly okay to share this with anyone, Mandy. We shouldn’t hate anyone including Trump no matter what you think of him.
It is amazing how sometimes very important things get overlooked because of some other thing or things people are focused on. The world is such a complex place these days.
The reason why I’ve followed this Child Protection Services problem is for the exact reason you’ve stated here. I taught school for 1/3 of my work life and I love children. It is always difficult for me to see them treated badly. The verses you’ve quoted are very good. God ordained the family and we should not cause children to stumble. Many of those who end up in the Norwegian Child Welfare System end up on drugs. Many of them say they want to go back to their parents. This seems to be ignored most of the time in favor of an industry that has far-reaching economic implications.
God loves the little children.
Thank you for your comment, Mandy.
God’s blessings…