Although the High Court has granted Greenlandic Keira Alexandra Kronvold agreed that the forced removal of her youngest daughter from birth was illegal, the decision has not had a positive impact on her case.
The daughter is still forcibly removed and placed in a foster family, and Thisted Municipality has no plans to increase the time spent together from the hour and a half each week.
Although the High Court has granted Greenlandic Keira Alexandra Kronvold agreed that the forced removal of her youngest daughter from birth was illegal, the decision has not had a positive impact on her case.
The daughter is still forcibly removed and placed in a foster family, and Thisted Municipality has no plans to increase the time spent together from the hour and a half each week.
Thisted Municipality thus ignores Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s wish for more time with her daughter.
Keira Alexandra Kronvold herself believes that the reason for the limited contact is that Zammi gets very upset when the two separate after contact.
The municipality and state go too far
Lawyer Jeanette Gjørret from Stage Advokatfirma explains that the High Court’s decision is a review of an old decision, and that it therefore has no bearing on the specific placement case, which was re-processed under the special unit in VISO six months ago, where it was recommended to maintain the compulsory placement.
However, Jeanette Gjørret does not have much faith in the special unit in VISO, and she believes that municipalities and the state go too far in their zeal to protect the child, which ends up harming the child and the family.
– There is such a zeal in the municipalities to do what they think is the right thing. But it is not right to remove a child from its mother on a flimsy basis. I estimate that this could end up being a big problem for the Danish government. Just as big as when in Denmark they did an experiment with Greenlandic children, which they wanted to do with Danish children.
Serious intervention in families
According to Jeanette Gjørret, the Danish government should start by recognizing that a forced removal of a child is a very serious intervention in a family, which should trigger the same rights as in criminal cases, which require “proof beyond any reasonable doubt”, and where uncertainty must benefit the accused while the prosecution has the burden of proof.
– But as long as you refuse to deal with how big an intervention you are making, and how many mistakes are made by the municipalities, then we will not get ahead, says Jeanette Gjørret.
Back in May, three UN special rapporteurs sharply criticized the Danish authorities for possible violations of the rights of Greenlandic families, among other things, on the basis of a review of Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s case. One of the three special rapporteurs, Reem Alsalem, has announced that she is coming to Denmark and Greenland in September to take a closer look at the area.
