Politics is unpredictable.
Mariane Paviasen Jensen (IA) has felt this herself.
When she got ready to travel from Narsaq to Nuuk for Inatsisartut’s spring gathering in April, she did not imagine that she would soon become a naalakkersuisoq.
Then party chairman Múte B. Egede called and asked if she would take on the post. However, Mariane Paviasen Jensen needed time to consider whether she wanted responsibility for the areas that came with the nail polish suisoq post.
Accepted at the last minute
Since Mariane Paviasen Jensen was elected to Inatsisartut in 2020, her political work has mainly been about raw materials, industry and the economy. That is why she had doubts when she was offered a nail polish suisoq post with completely different areas of responsibility.
– When I was asked, I said that I had to think really hard before I could say yes, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
There was only one day left for Inatsisartut’s spring gathering, which began on April 14. It wasn’t until April 13 that she agreed to become a nail technician.
– When our chairman spoke to me, I thought: “Wow, yes, this is just for me.”
According to Mariane Paviasen Jensen, it was the party chairman who gave her the courage to take on the task.
– He said it was because I’m stubborn, don’t just keep quiet, speak my mind and can also delegate tasks, she says.
Where her work was previously centered on raw materials, industry and the economy, everyday life is now about children, young people, the area of justice and equality.
– Yes, I have started with something completely different. But for me it all comes together. Now I have to work for our future – for our children’s future.
935 children placed outside the home
Shortly after joining as naalakkersuisoq, Mariane Paviasen Jensen received a report prepared by Deloitte on order from her predecessor. The reading made a strong impression.
– It hurt to read. I knew well that the situation was serious before I took office, but I had not fully understood how many people it was about, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen affected.
The report shows, among other things, that 935 children in 2024 have been placed outside the home for shorter or longer periods.
At the same time, it appears that there are significant costs associated with the placements. In 2024 alone, almost DKK 700 million has been spent on the area.
– I can see that a great many children are placed outside the home, and that unfortunately many parents today are no longer up to the task, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
Early intervention
She has no doubt that early intervention is one of the most important tasks in her naalakkersuisoq post, if fewer children are to be placed outside the home.
– It shouldn’t be the case that something only happens when things have gone completely wrong, and the children have to be forcibly removed. Unfortunately, it is often only there that help kicks in, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
Early intervention has long been a central theme. How will you make it succeed yourself?
– Together with the civil service, together with the municipalities and by getting the parents involved. We should not just decide from above that “this is how you should do it”. The work must be based on the needs of parents and municipalities.
At the same time, she emphasizes that the children are not responsible for the fact that they end up being placed outside the home.
– Not a single child is to blame for his own birth. Therefore, it is the parents who are responsible. In the serious situation we are in today with more than 900 children in care, it is important to understand that it is the parents who have the greatest responsibility for the children, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
Relatives of people who have committed suicide must have more help
Because the number of suicides has not decreased in recent years, naalakkersuisoq said in the middle of this month that there is a lack of efforts against suicide.
She also wants survivors of suicide to get better help.
Mariane Paviasen Jensen has herself experienced suicide in her immediate family. She lost her nephew to suicide and laments that relatives are not helped when such tragedies strike.
– It is not really in our nature to ask for help or to approach ourselves. Far too many can, even if they have a need, fail to seek out the authorities – perhaps because they cannot, or for other reasons, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
Therefore, in addition to the other initiatives, naalakkersuisoq also wants to work to ensure that relatives get more help. But she cannot yet say exactly how it will be designed.
– I’m still a bit in doubt about how it should be organized exactly, but I know that there is a need. What I can imagine is seeking them out, talking to them and easing their burden. To make it clear that we are here. If you have a need, it does not mean that it is necessarily you who must come, says Mariane Paviasen Jensen.
