More counts of violence against children in Denmark

Municipalities criticised for not reacting adequately

According to a new report published today by the children advocacy organisation Børns Vilkår in co-operation with the foundation TrygFonden, the authorities are registering more acts of violence against children than ever before.

Reports of violence against children under the age of nine have increased by 536 percent to 1,603 since 2010, the report (here in Danish) found.

“We know that every 11th child in Denmark experiences violence, so we are happy that this is coming to light,” Rasmus Kjeldahl, the head of Børns Vilkår, told Kristeligt Dagblad.

“It really underlines the importance of everyone alerting the authorities if they suspect a child needs help. Half of the population are still unaware of their duty to inform, so there is room for improvement.”

READ MORE: Children the focus of new system to tackle divorces

Municipal mess?
Kjeldahl contends that one of the issues is that the authorities don’t always react sufficiently to the reports of violence.

Recent figures from the national statistics keeper Danmarks Statistik revealed that children don’t get any help in four out of every ten cases concerning violence and abuse.

“Unfortunately, we often hear the system isn’t working well enough. I completely understand that the municipalities may be drowning in cases, but as it stands, it’s up to the municipalities to ask the state for help,” said Kjeldahl.





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.