With forced adoption lose children and parents the right to each other

Publication date: 23 March 2016

Google translation from Danish

Last year, local authorities allowed to forcibly adopt children. It is an extremely violent interference with the right to parenthood and may be in violation of basic human rights

Clara Bach / iBureauet

March 23, 2016Comments (10)

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Many parents who have been forcibly removed their children, dreaming constantly to fetch them home. But they dream only. For they know that they risk a conviction for kidnapping.

I have over the last four years later forcibly area closely and have had insight into the forced removal cases where parents have turned to me for my help. They feel that the system has stolen their children, and they're pretty much out of the game.

The goal of a forced removal is by law otherwise to help the family so much that they turn even being able to take care of their children, but there is often the direct opposite. But most children get it so badly by placing that in a short time will require treatment, and the system therefore concludes that parents are never going to be able to take care of them when they do not have the skills for it, and be skilled for.

The indomitable endures. They familiarize themselves with the law, working hard around the clock, cooperate with the municipality and maintain the hope and faith in justice. But it can take years. And most give up ever to get their child home. It is sad, especially when you consider all the cases where children are just not been removed from the home with abuse, exploitation and violence. Often, they even asked the municipality for help, but they judged out based on established norms about what it means to be a good parent. Are you such a good mother if you are blind? Or if you have muscular dystrophy?

On top of that local authorities became in 2015 a new tool: forced adoption. It opens up a whole new practice to children, and it scares me witless. For forced away adoptions are not to be confused with forced evictions. At a forced adoption services lose the child and the parents and other biological family namely full rights to each other.

And I promise you that the first municipalities have put the line and used the new powers. In Rødovre lost a 7-year-old girl her entire family, including his grandparents, who was standing near her. The municipality estimated that it was more harmful to the girl to have contact than not to have contact. The family asked for Procesbevillingsnævnet to be allowed to the proceedings before the Court of Human Rights, as it was in principle, which several disability organizations supportive of, as the practice is not established in the field, since the law is so new. Many parents are therefore at risk for forced adoption out their children from a law that might prove to be contrary to fundamental human rights.

In violation of rights

Another of the families who have labeled the new law, is a Turkish family from Ishoej, who three weeks ago lost the right to be parents for their newborns. Her mother came to Denmark a few years ago and was assessed as retarded from a parent's ability examination.

She was pregnant and did not understand what was happening around her - just that the Danish government would take her firstborn who had come through insemination - that is a wish child. The danger has impaired vision and am retired. So overall, parents who deemed so weak that the municipality assesses that they can not be parents. The family's lawyer stated that the family is great and resourceful that the child can easily be in the network - and grow up in a safe environment with stable caregivers why the municipality did not have to worry. But the municipality is running case unyielding, and the family can do nothing.

I am amazed that no one has taken these matters more seriously. We are out of the break with some very basic human rights. For whom can an estimate deprive a child the right not to see his family? It is an extremely violent interference with the right to parenthood.

If disabled, socially marginalized, poor and vulnerable caregivers may not have the right to keep their child, why even give them the right to food? Many know of adoption services are from the 1960s - do not let it happen again. Should there perhaps be introduced forældrepas where it must first apply to the municipality on parenting?

Forced Adoption is a slippery slope, as former minister for children, gender equality, inclusion and social conditions, Manu Sareen, was kick-started. It is possible that his intentions were good, that it was about protecting the most vulnerable children of mentally ill and addicts, but he should have listened to the prominent professionals who warned that it could end up leading to discrimination and violation of human rights.

Saving Equipment

It is expensive to help families in crisis - families with disabled children, children with special needs, with disabled parents or with few resources - families that in no way did their children hurt.

It is however cheap to forced away adopt. It saves the municipality money. And it's less cumbersome than forced evictions where you as a social worker constantly has both foster parents, biological family and network of pipe. And togetherness consultants, foster families and damaged children who need treatment costs. A forced adoption services is a perfect saving tool which I fear is going to be used much more in the future. Just look at Norway, where the number has increased explosively since one year ago introduced that discretion was enough to forced adoption services.

But I still hope that the Appeals Permission will provide family legal aid to follow a case through so that practice in this area at least become established. Until then, there is a lawlessness that elevates the fundamental principles out of play.

And I hope that the family from Ishøj wins the appeal case. Or alternatively that goes all the way to the Court of Human Rights. The major media in Turkey and the Turkish Embassy following the case closely. In Denmark came a notice on the matter at Ekstra Bladet website. It is a bad way in the Danish press, when you consider how much is at stake for all of us. We can all go and be sick, poor and disabled. And who then has the right to define whether you are a good or bad parent? The municipalities have, as it is today. They have free rein.

Puk Sabber is an independent social worker and letters editor at the Social Unit, Ekstra Bladet.

Countries: Denmark