Priority area 3 – Competence enhancement
Adult education employee, informant in the report Kompetansebehov om negativ sosial kontroll og æresrelatert vold blant ansatte i opplærings- og integreringstjenestene [competence needs regarding negative social control and honour-based violence among personnel in training and integration services] (Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), 2022) (available in Norwegian only)
The Government wants to better equip employees in public services to help individuals who experience negative social control and honour-motivated violence.
Employees in the service system, such as the police, schools, and health and care services, interact with both victims and perpetrators of negative social control and honour-motivated violence in the course of their work. They meet children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations and are instrumental in preventing, uncovering, averting and providing help and follow-up to victims and people at risk.
The health services can be a gateway to help, and health centres and school health services are important low-threshold services. The kindergarten is an arena for early intervention, among other things by entering into dialogue and building trust with parents. This can facilitate greater trust in the school when the children start there, and in society in general. It is important that victims and people at risk dare to contact the police, and that the police work to build trust, especially with groups that are difficult to reach. The child welfare services are responsible for protecting children and young people under the age of 18 and helping and supporting parents to be safe caregivers. Employees in asylum reception centres, refugee services, adult education and Nav offices must have the competence to help those who have little knowledge of Norwegian society, legislation and support services.
To combat negative social control and honour-motivated violence, it is important that employees in the service system have good knowledge of the topics. They must also be able to build trust and provide advice and help adapted to the needs of victims. In addition, they should be familiar with the specialised services (Box 3) that can provide advice and guidance in individual cases.
The Government is focussing its measures on the following areas:
- Competence enhancement in the service system
- Increased awareness of the specialised services
- Parental support and guidance that builds on parental responsibility and safeguards children’s rights and needs
Measure 14: Strengthen the service system’s knowledge of negative social control and honour-motivated violence
Employees in the service system often interact with both victims and perpetrators of negative social control and honour-motivated violence in the course of their work. This includes those who work in schools, adult education, the police, NAV, as well as other services. Parts of the service system do not have sufficient competence to identify or provide adequate follow-up for people at risk and victims, and not everyone is aware of the relevant specialised services.
The Government will:
- a. Increase knowledge of negative social control and honour-motivated violence among employees in the service system and raise awareness of the specialised services. This will be done e.g., through digital guides, courses or campaigns.
- b. co-ordinate existing resources aimed at employees in the service system and raise awareness of them.
- Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
- c. Increase knowledge, skills and competence regarding negative social control and honour-motivated violence in relevant professional education and continuing education programmes.
- Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Education and Research and Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
Measure 15: Strengthen the child welfare services’ competence in cases involving various forms of violence and abuse
Employees in child welfare services possess varying levels of competence regarding different forms of violence, how they manifest, and the most effective ways to prevent them. It is crucial for the quality of the work that the child welfare services have a comprehensive understanding of violence as a phenomenon and how it affects family dynamics and the health and development of children. The child welfare services need professional support to enhance their competence in distinguishing between various cases of violence involving different issues, in order to provide appropriate assistance. The Government will:
- develop a guide for the child welfare services’ work on investigations and assistance measures in child welfare cases involving various forms of violence, including negative social control and honour-motivated violence. Among other things, the guide will provide the child welfare services with a basis for strengthening their work in terms of systematic case processing, risk assessment, assessment of severity and the use of mapping tools. It will also provide skills training in talking about violence with children and parents, and in conversations during the investigation phase in cases of negative social control and various forms of violence.
- consider a model for parental guidance and conversations with children and parents about violence for families receiving assistance measures from the child welfare services. Parenting styles and the rights of the child, including co-determination, will be key.
- Strengthen the child welfare services’ investigative work in religious and life stance communities and assess the need for support materials.
- Strengthen the child welfare services’ competence regarding the prevention and detection of involuntary stays abroad. It must be ensured that victims do not feel misunderstood when seeking help, and that cases are not closed due to important statements from the child being overlooked.
- Strengthen the child welfare services’ work with families living with honour-motivated conflicts. In cases where children and young people are in conflict with their family due to challenges and issues related to the family’s honour, there may be an increased risk of being sent abroad. This risk can also increase in families where the child welfare services and/or the police become involved. The child welfare services must therefore have sufficient competence to be able to work preventively with these challenges within families.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Children and Families
Box 10: Strengthened trust in the child welfare services
Norway has a well-functioning public administration, with a generally high level of trust among its citizens. Openness, participation, transparency, and control mechanisms are key characteristics that provide the public administration with trust and legitimacy.
Nevertheless, a significant proportion of the immigrant population expresses low trust in the service system in general and in the child welfare services in particular. This is particularly challenging when the public administration has to make decisions that can have major consequences for families. Stories and anecdotes have contributed to perceptions in some communities that the primary goal of the child protection is to ‘remove’ children. Similarly, on the part of the child welfare services, meetings with minority families can be characterised by a lack of understanding on the part of caseworkers who have preconceived notions about who they are interacting with and what the problem is.
This can make co-operation challenging and lead to misunderstandings and communication problems, which in turn affects the trust users have in the services. We know that children with immigrant backgrounds are overrepresented in the child welfare services, and there is much to suggest that trust between the child welfare services and families is particularly jeopardised in cases involving violence. The child welfare services’ approach in such cases can lead to parents not wanting to co-operate and contribute to making the situation more difficult for the child. It is known that this can act as a trigger for children being sent abroad. Low levels of trust can also be a barrier for families who are seeking help from the child welfare services.
The Government wants to strengthen trust in the child welfare services through increased openness, improved dialogue and inclusive processes. It shall become easier for the public, the media and decision-makers to obtain the necessary information about decisions, procedures and the state of the sector.
Box 11: Trust-building policing
The police emphasise dialogue and trust-building efforts. It is necessary that the population has confidence in the police, especially hard-to-reach demographic groups. An important target is to lower the threshold for contacting the police.
Nationally and at the district level, the police will take the initiative to establish dialogue and meeting places with various groups of residents to ensure mutual exchange of information and build relationships and trust. Particular emphasis is placed on reaching out to different minority groups.
Measure 16: Enhance the competence of the police and the prosecuting authority
Investigating crimes that may be motivated by honour requires knowledge and competence regarding the phenomenon. The police districts shall ensure that relevant employees have knowledge of the subject and are familiar with internal procedures.
A number of competence enhancement measures have been implemented in the area of honour-motivated violence, including mandatory annual training for investigators and police prosecutors. A separate page on honour-motivated crime has been created on the police’s national specialist portal KO:DE, which includes a guide for investigating honour-motivated violence and crime. The police representative in the expert team against negative social control and honour-based violence guides the police districts in individual cases. However, there continues to be a need for competence enhancement.
The Government will develop and implement further measures to enhance the competence of the police in order to ensure effective handling of criminal cases.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Box 12: The work done at the Eastern Unit in the Oslo Police District
The Section for Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences at the Eastern Unit has specialist expertise in the investigation of honour-motivated violence. Through its own subject matter expert, the Section takes a strategic and inter-agency approach to focus attention on honour-motivated issues. As part of the Eastern Unit, Stovner Police Station established Project November in 2015. Project November was the precursor to the RISK model, which is now being rolled out to additional police districts (see Box 13).
The Section gives lectures on honour-motivated crime to the Norwegian Police University College, the police, the child welfare services, Muslim communities, judges, and others. The Section has taken an active role in the media to inform the public about the topic. The Section supports other police districts in cases where a motive of honour is a hypothesis, and has contributed to several convictions.
The Section has a strong professional environment. A success criterion is that the entire Eastern Unit has competence in honour-related issues, from the first unit on-site conducting immediate investigations to the prosecution that determines the case.
Box 13: The RISK model in the police
The Oslo Police has achieved good results by working according to the RISK model (risk analysis and crime prevention of domestic violence), see also Box 12 on the work of the Eastern Unit in the Oslo Police District. Through RISK, police specialists and social work and health professionals collaborate in teams to prevent violence, including cases of honour-motivated violence. Among other things, RISK follows up victims of violence in the form of conversations and advice, and helps identify suitable safety measures. The programme also targets perpetrators of violence and the children of victims of violence. RISK works in both reported and unreported cases and collaborates closely with other support services.
In the Escalation Plan against Violence and Abuse against Children and Domestic Violence (2024–2028), it is stated that the Government will extend the RISK model to the whole of Norway. From 2024, the roll-out of RISK’s working methods and methodology has started in three geographical operating units in three of the country’s police districts: Nordland, South-West and South-East. In 2025, all geographic operating units in Oslo Police District will also be covered.
Measure 17: Increase knowledge and use of specialised outpatient services for women subjected to female genital mutilation
The specialist health service provides services, follow-up and treatment for women subjected to female genital mutilation. The specialised outpatient clinics allow women who have been subjected to female genital mutilation to contact them directly for assistance. It is important that healthcare professionals and health services are informed and know where to direct enquiries regarding female genital mutilation. Many women are still unaware of the health consequences and their right to healthcare if they have been subjected to female genital mutilation prior to arriving in Norway.
The Government will:
- contribute to raising awareness and use of the specialised outpatient clinics among users and referral bodies.
- clarify the issue of exemption regarding the duty to refer in relation to women who have been subjected to female genital mutilation, as this has not been formalised as a permanent arrangement.
- strengthen and adapt information for women who are victims of female genital mutilation.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Health and Care Services
Measure 18: Further develop co-operation between the specialised services and religious and life stance communities
For several years, the expert team against negative social control and honour-based violence has highlighted the challenges associated with negative social control in religious and life stance communities.
The Government will facilitate the further development of the co-operation between the Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities (STL) and the specialised services in the efforts against negative social control. The purpose will be mutual competence enhancement and understanding of the phenomenon.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Children and Families
Box 14: Online resource to help enhance the competence of employees in primary and secondary education and training and out-of-school care (SFO)
Employees in schools and out-of-school care must have sufficient knowledge about the role of other services to know which professional bodies to contact when they have a concern that a child or young person is being subjected to violence or abuse. The Directorate for Education and Training (Udir) has developed an online resource to help enhance the competence of employees in primary and secondary education and training and out-of-school care on the subject of negative social control and honour-motivated violence. It also covers involuntary stays abroad: Negative social control | udir.no
Measure 19: Enhance competence in kindergartens, schools and out-of-school care
Children and young people spend large parts of their daily lives at school, kindergarten and in out-of-school care. These institutions are instrumental in the prevention, detection and follow-up of children and young people who are, or have been, subjected to negative social control and honour-motivated violence, including involuntary stays abroad. These issues are often complex, and it is important that employees have competence regarding the subject and know where they can turn for discussion and guidance.
The Government will:
- help ensure that municipalities, county authorities and private owners of kindergartens, schools and out-of-school care have good access to educational resources to enhance employees’ competence on these matters. Access to resources will be ensured through a mandate to the Directorate for Education to establish access to relevant digital resources on the topic of violence. The work will take place in co-operations with relevant directorates.
- develop e-learning courses that are suitable for use in the schools’ competence enhancement. The target groups for the courses are employees in primary, lower and upper secondary schools, and possibly educators in the refugee service. School administrators will also be given the competence to lead courses on prevention, as well as follow up on long-term preventive efforts. The content of the courses will be adapted to the various target groups. The courses shall be free of charge, easily accessible and professionally relevant.
Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Education and Research and Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
Box 15: Working with the team around the pupil
The Government will work to strengthen the team around the child and pupil, and the interdisciplinary efforts in the form of, among other things, child and youth professional competence, social work associates, social educators and strengthened health centre and school health services. The Government will also introduce a comprehensive system for competence and career development for all employees in kindergartens and primary and secondary education and training that will be phased in during 2025 and 2026. In addition, the Government will strengthen the team around the pupil by enhancing the knowledge base on competence and co-operation within the team, as well as developing support and guidance resources, and following up on efforts to disseminate knowledge and best practices of local work involving interdisciplinary cooperation. The team around the child and pupil is a topic in the white paper on a more practical school – better learning, motivation and well-being in grades 5–10 (Meld. St. 34 (2023–2024)) (available in Norwegian only) and in the planned white paper on social mobility and social equality.
Measure 20: Enhance competence on violence and abuse against elderly persons with minority backgrounds
Elderly persons living in relationships of dependency may be at increased risk of being subjected to violence and abuse. This also applies to elderly persons with a minority background.
The Government wants to enhance competence in the handling of violence and abuse against elderly persons with a minority background living in relationships of dependency with adult children or other carers. Through the TryggEst model, Bufdir will further develop guidance, materials and tools to strengthen relevant services, as well as improve the dissemination of relevant information to these segments of the population.
Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Culture and Equality, in co-operation with the Ministry of Health and Care Services
Box 16: The Norwegian Religious and Life Stance Communities Act
The Norwegian Religious and Life Stance Communities Act contains provisions that may cover negative social control and honour-motivated violence. Religious and life stance communities may be denied funding if the community, or individuals acting on their behalf, use violence or coercion, make threats, violate the rights of the child, violate statutory prohibitions against discrimination or otherwise seriously violate the rights and freedoms of others.
Religious and life stance communities that encourage parents to use violence in the upbringing of children, or that discourage children from receiving necessary healthcare or education, that facilitate female genital mutilation, or that promote child marriage by providing contacts abroad, may also be affected.
The new guide to the Norwegian Religious and Life Stance Communities Act encourages communities to use the course material prepared by the Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities. Communities are also asked to consider the need to establish policies and training internally regarding negative social control.
Measure 21: Investigate the need for legislative amendments and inform religious and life stance communities about the rules concerning the duty of confidentiality, the duty to avert a criminal act, and notifications to the child welfare services
Religious and life stance communities may come into contact with individuals with challenges related to negative social control and honour-motivated violence. They may be victims of neglect or criminal offences, such as child marriage or domestic abuse. Knowledge of the legislation that regulates duties and opportunities related to the follow-up of such cases varies.
The Government will investigate the need for legislative amendments regarding the duty of confidentiality, to ensure that the duty to avert a criminal act is followed up and that the scope for reporting to the child welfare services is clear for employees and volunteers in religious and life stance communities. The Government also wants to inform religious and life stance communities about applicable rights and duties related to these topics.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Children and Families
Measure 22: Enhance competence on negative social control, honour-motivated violence and female genital mutilation in the health and care services
The health centre and school health services are key to providing assistance, guidance, support and early detection of challenges. Regular general practitioners (GPs) interact with both victims of violence and patients who may have been, or are at risk of being, subjected to female genital mutilation, and it is important that GPs have sufficient competence to help such victims. The national professional guideline for antenatal care contains recommendations on detecting domestic violence and female genital mutilation in pregnant women. There is a need to further enhance competence in the health and care services.
The Government will:
- a. Prepare competence-enhancement material for employees in the health centre and school health services on negative social control and honour-motivated violence.
- b. Continue the work of the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies (NKVTS) on research, knowledge dissemination, and competence enhancement on female genital mutilation.
- c. Enhance GPs’ competence and knowledge of negative social control, honour-motivated violence and female genital mutilation.
Responsible government ministry: Ministry of Health and Care Services
- d. when revising relevant study programmes in the National Curriculum Regulations for Norwegian Heath and Welfare Education (RETHOS), the inclusion of learning outcome descriptions concerning sexuality, negative social control and honour-motivated violence shall be assessed.
Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Health and Care Services, Ministry of Education and Research, Ministry of Children and Families and Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
Measure 23: Strengthen co-operation and knowledge transfer between the services that have measures against human trafficking and the specialised services against negative social control and honour-motivated violence
Victims of human trafficking may also be experiencing various forms of negative social control and honour-motivated violence. There is a need for mutual competence enhancement on these topics in the specialised services that work to combat negative social control and honour-motivated violence, as well as in the services that work to combat human trafficking.
The Government will develop areas of co-operation and procedures for competence enhancement between the services. The goal is for the services to work in a more knowledge-based and comprehensive manner in relation to adjacent topics.
Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion and Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Measure 24: Enhance competence on negative social control in adult education
Reports indicate that employees in adult education lack sufficient competence on negative social control and honour-motivated violence, and that they desire to gain more knowledge on the topic.
Participants in adult education may have a limited network in Norway and/or little knowledge of where they can seek help. Therefore, it is important that employees in these services possess competence on how to prevent, identify, address and follow up cases of negative social control and honour-motivated violence.
The Government wants to raise the level of competence regarding negative social control for employees who teach adults under the Norwegian Education Act or who provide education in Norwegian language and social studies under the Norwegian Integration Act.
Responsible government ministries: Ministry of Education and Research and Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion
Box 17: Videos and communication
The expert team against negative social control and honour-based violence has prepared short films in which they provide answers to frequently asked questions from the services and individuals.