Sexual abuse in Northern Norway: "We must not abandon them now"

Grave sexual assaults and raping of children are among the shocking revelations of the so-called ‘Tysfjord Case’ in Norway following the initial revelations. The police has revealed 151 abuse cases in the rural Nordland County municipality of Tysfjord.

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"The brave people who fronted this revelation must now be followed up properly. They should not be left on their own," says Sami Parliament Councilor Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen.

The Tysfjord Case has received widespread attention in Norway since the summer of 2016, when 11 persons from the Tysfjord community appeared in the VG daily as victims of sexual assaults.

Victims aged 4 to 75 years old

The police investigation has since revealed a total of 151 sexual abuse cases related to the municipality.

A total of 82 victims have been identified, and 92 suspects.

Many of the cases include grave sexual abuses, including the raping of children, and the oldest case dates back to 1953. Out of the 151 cases that have been investigated, 106 have been due to obsolescence. So far, this has resulted in ten indictments.

"Hearing about the massive extent of the tragic abuse stories from Tysfjord hurts. However, it is both good and in its place for the police to have done such a thorough job. It has only been possible because those who have been victims of assaults have had the strength to break the silence on an issue that concerns us all. The Sami Parliament is proud and grateful for the strength they have shown," says Sami Parliament Councilor Mikkel Eskil Mikkelsen in a Sami Parliament press statement.

The age of the victims range from 4 to 75 years.

Mikkelsen says he is concerned with them not to be left on their own again when the police now closes the Tysfjord Case as a project.

"The most important thing now is for those who have been victims of abuse in Tysfjord to receive the help they need and also restitution. However, it is not only those who are directly exposed to violence who suffer from it. Families and networks also suffer. The Tysfjord community needs support and follow-up," says Mikkelsen.

Multi-level failures

"Silence and taboos have led to children and youth not receiving the protection they are due. Victims who have shared their stories have been subject to threats. A key question for us is how we as a Sami community can contribute to openness and trust," Mikkelsen says.

He points to the report ‘If you dare to ask, people dare to respond’ report, which covers support services’ and the police’s experiences with domestic violence in Sami communities. The report (Norwegian only) is written by the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies and argues that the Sami population carries an ingrain lack of confidence in the public support systems. The police’s final report on the Tysfjord Case concludes the same.

"The police has apologized for not having done a good enough job until 2016 and has thus started confidence-building measures. However, as the report points out, there are also other support system offices that have failed, among others kindergartens, school, school nurses, children care services," says Mikkelsen.

Wants investigation of several offices

The Sami Parliament Councilor argues that it is important to ensure a support apparatus that has the competence and capacity required to manage and prevent such cases.

The Sami Parliament argues that the municipal health services, with Sami language and culture competence, is crucial. The Parliament also makes a point of an existing competence center’s need to expand its capacity to handle cases of violence and abuse in a satisfactory manner.

"We will follow this up in our work," says the Sami Parliament.

The Sami Parliament also argues that it is necessary with an overall investigation of the Tysfjord Case and for investigating other support services’ handling of cases reported and expressions of concern received by them.

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Read our Editor-in-Chief Arne O. Holm’s op-ed