Distr.

GENERAL

CRC/C/SR.150
21 April 1994


Original: ENGLISH
Summary record of the 150th meeting : Norway. 21/04/94.
CRC/C/SR.150. (Summary Record)

Convention Abbreviation: CRC
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

Sixth session

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 150th MEETING

Held at the Palais des Nations, Geneva,
on Monday, 18 April 1994, at 3 p.m.


Chairperson: Mrs. BADRAN


CONTENTS

Consideration of reports of States parties (continued)

Norway (continued)










This record is subject to correction.

Corrections should be submitted in one of the working languages. They should be set forth in a memorandum and also incorporated in a copy of the record. They should be sent within one week of the date of this document to the Official Records Editing Section, room E.4108, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Any corrections to the records of the meetings of the Committee at this session will be consolidated in a single corrigendum, to be issued shortly after the end of the session.

GE.94-16148 (E)
The meeting was called to order at 3.20 p.m.

CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS OF STATES PARTIES (agenda item 4) (continued)

Norway (continued) (CRC/C/8/Add.7; CRC/C/WP.6)

1. Mr. WILLE (Norway), replying to Miss Mason's question on the Sami people and further to the information provided in paragraphs 461 to 477 of his country's report (CRC/C/8/Add.7), said that the 1987 Sami Act had established a Sami Assembly, the first elections to which had taken place in 1989, under rules similar to those governing general elections in Norway. The Assembly had powers to discuss and pronounce opinions freely on any matters it considered relevant to the Sami people and to bring any matter to the attention of public authorities and private institutions. The Assembly also had powers of decision in certain areas as provided in the Sami Act and other legislation. Furthermore, before coming to any decision on matters within the scope of business of the Assembly, other public bodies were obliged to give the Assembly an opportunity to express its opinion on them.

2. The Sami Assembly was at present in its second term. During its first term it had dealt with and pronounced opinions on a number of matters including the major traditional economic activities of the Sami people, namely fishing, aquaculture, reindeer husbandry, agriculture and the combination of various means of livelihood. Opinions had also been pronounced on the provisions of the Sami Act relating to the Sami language, the Act relating to Primary and Lower Secondary Education and the plan for Sami handicrafts. The Assembly had also been concerned with international issues such as the situation of indigenous peoples throughout the world and had been actively associated with work in connection with the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (No. 169) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. It had considered matters of relevance to the Sami people throughout the Nordic countries and the situation of the Sami and other indigenous peoples in northern Russia. A member of the Sami Assembly was a member of the Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.

3. When the Sami Act had been drafted, it was stressed that the powers of the Sami Assembly were not immutable, but should develop in keeping with the views of the Assembly and the general public as regards the status of the Sami people in Norway. Powers over funds in various areas under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Research and Church Affairs, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Environment had recently been transferred to the Assembly, in keeping with the Government's aim of giving it as much say as possible over the funds allocated by the State for Sami purposes.

4. Separate statistics for unemployment among the Sami people were not available, but would probably differ little from the rest of the country, since the figures for the six municipalities covered by the Sami Act were close to the February 1994 national average of 5.6 per cent. It would be true to say, however, that the unemployment rate in the far north of Norway, where most Sami lived, was generally higher than in the rest of the country.

5. The two-year project, described in paragraph 472 (b) of the report, to collect more information on Sami children, was still in progress.

6. Religious instruction, on which Mrs. Santos Pais had asked a question, was covered in paragraph 152 of the report. The relation between Church and State in Norway had been covered in detail in Norway's initial report to the Human Rights Committee (CCPR/C/1/Add.5) to which the Committee was referred. The principal area in which the treatment of the Evangelical Lutheran religion and other religions differed at present was in the schools. The Act relating to Primary and Lower Secondary Education, in its section 1 enjoined schools to give a Christian and moral upbringing and in section 7 included a knowledge of Christianity among the subjects to be taught. The purpose was not to make pupils believe in the Christian God nor to subscribe to the State Church but to give them a basic knowledge of Christianity, what it meant for individuals and society, and to inculcate understanding and respect for religious and ethical values, to stimulate pupils in their personal development and growth and to teach them tolerance and respect for persons with other opinions with regard to belief and philosophy of life. Those aims were set out in the guidelines laid down for teachers. Under section 13 of the Act, parents who did not belong to the Church of Norway could request their children to be exempted from such instruction. However, as far as possible such pupils were to be offered other religious instruction or instruction in the philosophy of life, a subject covering various schools of philosophy, religions and ethical issues. If parents belonging to a particular religious faith wished their child to receive instruction in that faith, arrangements could be made for it to be provided by the school, according to a syllabus provided by the Ministry of Education, or by a registered religious community in accordance with its own syllabus and guidelines provided by the Ministry of Education. Such instruction was supported financially by the State.

7. In reply to the question by Mrs. Santos Pais on the minimum age for marriage, under the Norwegian Marriage Act, 1991, a child under 18 years of age might not marry without the consent of the persons who had parental responsibility for the child and the County Governor, or with the consent of the latter alone should the former withhold it. The Act, however, did not go into any further detail on the subject.

8. In answer to Mgr. Bambaren Gastelumendi's question relating to the sale of organs, Norway's legislation provided for the transplant of organs from persons over 18 years of age only with their consent. There were no provisions in Norwegian legislation relating to the sale of organs, as the matter did not arise in practice in Norway. The law did, however, make a general provision under which agreements contrary to public order and morals were prohibited; the sale of organs could be considered a violation of that provision.

9. With regard to paid work by children, the exemptions to the rules described in paragraphs 60 and 61 of the report were as follows. Children over the age of 15 in compulsory education might engage in work, and children over the age of 13 might engage in light work, provided such work would not adversely affect their health, development and schooling and complied with rules regarding type and condition of work and working hours set by the Directorate of Labour Inspection. Children of 14 years of age and above might engage in work as part of their schooling or for purposes of vocational guidance provided such work would not be detrimental to their health or development. Such training programmes were subject to the approval of the educational authorities; the conditions governing such work could be regulated by the Directorate of Labour Inspection. Subject to the consent of that Directorate, persons under 15 years of age and persons undergoing compulsory schooling could be employed in commercial films, theatre and other performances provided such work was not detrimental to their health, safety, development or schooling. The Working Environment Act included a number of provisions relating to the medical examination of young workers and contained a specific prohibition against night work.

10. Ms. PAULSEN (Norway), referring to the problem of stateless children, said that in the written answers to issue No. 18 it had been pointed out that under the Norwegian Nationality Act, Norwegian nationality was acquired either by descent or by territoriality. It was therefore possible for children born in Norway of non-Norwegian parents to be born stateless, but such parent generally had the opportunity of registering their children as citizens of their own home country. Under the Norwegian Nationality Act, a child could acquire Norwegian nationality following an application made by its parents, either included in their own application or for the child on its own, but in both cases the possession of legal residence permits was a prerequisite. Foreign children legally resident in Norway enjoyed the same status, and had the same rights and obligations, as children of Norwegian nationality.

11. Mr. HELLAND (Norway) said that children were one of three priority areas for the Norwegian Government. State spending on children had increased in the past four years. Municipal spending on such areas as child welfare, day nurseries and programmes for extracurricular activities had also increased.

12. Unemployment was also a priority area for government action. Although Norway had an unemployment rate below most other European countries, it was still too high. With regard to the impact unemployment might have on the children of those out of work, it should be noted that the unemployed received approximately 60 per cent of the salary they received before losing their employment. Furthermore, legislation had been adopted in 1993 to permit the remission of house mortgages in cases of difficulty. Although the financial impact of unemployment on children was thus lessened, its psychological effects could be even more harmful. A study involving a number of institutions was at present in progress on the effect the unemployment of parents could have on children and should be completed in 1995. Norway also welcomed a move for cooperation among all the Nordic countries on the subject.

13. Mention had been made in the discussion of the difference in the treatment of boys and girls in various areas covered by the report; it was true that the process of socialization was different for boys and girls despite the efforts made by educators to make no distinction between the sexes.

14. With regard to the question on children in conflict with the law, he felt there had perhaps been a misinterpretation of the use of the word "may" in the first sentence of paragraph 430 of the report. No person under 15 years of age was punishable for any criminal act. However, criminal acts by such children could be investigated and parents could be held responsible for damage caused by their children. The maximum financial liability was at present NKr 1,000; the Government was proposing to raise it to NKr 5,000.

15. With regard to international adoption, Norway had taken part in the work leading up to the formulation of The Hague Convention and intended to ratify it within the next two years. Norway had also entered into separate agreements on the subject with a number of countries. The Norwegian Government was anxious to ensure that Norwegian families did not steal children from other countries. Adoption procedures were very strict in Norway and every adoption was scrutinized by a special adoption office.

16. The basic training given to the social workers employed in various fields such as social welfare, adoption, family questions, work with refugees and immigrants comprised a three year course of higher education. Some social workers, especially those working with immigrants and in child welfare, had also undergone further training. The Ministry of Children and Family Affairs spent approximately NKr 10 million annually on training social workers in child welfare. In Norway, social workers worked in cooperation with other professional staff such as psychologists and other experts, depending on the problems dealt with.

17. With regard to the prevalence of AIDS among children in Norway, he was unable to give an exact figure but the number involved was extremely small. Government policy was to integrate such children in all activities and not to separate them from other children.

18. Mr. HAMMARBERG, referring to issues Nos. 11 to 14, said that although Norway clearly desired to handle the difficult question of refugee children in the most appropriate manner, some of the information available from non-governmental sources and even from individuals did not always arrive at the same assessment as that reached in the report. It was difficult for the Committee, which had little in the way of research resources, to ascertain the exact position. All it could do was to highlight areas in which refugee children, and particularly unaccompanied refugee children, appeared to be particularly vulnerable. For example, in cases where there appeared to be no legal grounds for asylum, it might still be very traumatic for a child to be sent back to a situation which it perceived as threatening.

19. There were some areas, for example, regarding which the attitude of non-governmental organizations seemingly differed somewhat from that of the authorities. One was the question of giving the child a genuine opportunity to voice its views in situations of asylum-seeking - a matter deserving consideration on humanitarian grounds alone even where the granting of asylum could not be officially justified. Perhaps children should feature more prominently in case descriptions. He also wondered whether the fact that the procedures were carried out by the police might in itself alarm asylum-seekers from countries where the police were a symbol of oppression. Methods of expulsion should perhaps be reviewed, since it seemed there had been cases where some members of a family had gone into hiding but the remaining members had been expelled without them. Facilities at reception centres constituted another topic on which the attitude of NGOs and the authorities seemed to differ. A further problem could arise in the case of a child of divorced parents, when only one of them was allowed to stay in the country. The initial report had also mentioned problems encountered in regard to the appointment of provisional guardians. All the areas mentioned should perhaps be looked into more fully.

20. He agreed that church asylum had no legal recognition; in the Committee's view, however, persons seeking such asylum, although denied the right to official residence, were nevertheless entitled to health and education services, and the Government of the territory in question was responsible for upholding children's rights. In that regard, the Norwegian authorities' position seemed to be that, although they were prepared to provide facilities, they did not deem them a right. A possible consequence of that stance was that local authorities, churches or NGOs could find themselves expected to provide the requisite services without State hindrance but also without State funding. It would surely be in the interest of all to clarify official policy in that regard.

21. Ms. PAULSEN (Norway) said that her delegation agreed with the Committee on many of the points raised. The Norwegian authorities always took account of humanitarian considerations in cases of refugees accompanied by children, even if the legal requirements had not been met. Cases of unaccompanied minors were always considered favourably; those minors were always interviewed separately, in the presence of a legal guardian. In all cases of families with children, the instructions to the police were quite clear about the need to look at the complete background, including conditions in the country which had been left. Children from the age of 12 years old had their individual rights recognized in all matters. Under a new set of police guidelines shortly to be completed, any child would be able to express its views and to have a separate interview if it so wished. The concern that the presence of police might instil fear in children had been discounted by an eminent psychologist, who had said that it was the attitude and behaviour, not the appearance, that mattered. There were no plans to amend the current procedure.

22. When requests for asylum were rejected, the applicants were requested to leave the country voluntarily; only if they failed to do so was the expulsion procedure applied. Under the latter, the person in charge of the reception centre was notified in good time in order that, inter alia, due preparations for the children concerned could be made. The policy was not to split up families, and at all times the utmost effort was made to avoid doing so. The ordinary reception centres, many of which she had visited, were well equipped with recreational and other facilities. There had been a lack of provisional guardians in the past, because few persons had been willing to take on the task, but the situation had greatly improved. With regard to cases of divorce, the Immigration Act explicitly stated that, before any expulsion decision was taken, the overall situation and possible consequences, especially in regard to children, must be carefully appraised. Even in cases where a divorced person had obtained Norwegian citizenship only through marriage, he or she could still apply for a residence permit, especially if there were children of the marriage with whom regular contact had been maintained. Each case was considered on its merits.

23. The question of church asylum as it related to the scope of the Convention's provisions was currently being debated in Norway, especially since the occupation of a church, on one occasion in 1993, by some 700 asylum-seekers whose application to stay in the country had been rejected. The authorities' view was that all children in such situations were entitled at all times to their fundamental rights, including emergency health care. If the illegal stay was protracted, children's entitlement to further rights might also be recognized. Since the Convention did not directly address the question of illegal stay, it had to be assumed that an extended period would have to be taken as a criterion; that period would not be the same irrespective of the type of rights in question. In the instance mentioned, for example, the authorities had regarded the stay as too short for the right to education to be recognized - although, in fact, all the children involved had seemingly had access to primary and secondary education as well as other public services.

24. Mr. HJELDE (Norway), referring to the concern voiced about traumatic conditions for refugees and asylum-seekers, said that a university centre had been established for the provision of psychiatric and other social services for refugees, and that research funds had also been allocated in that regard. The programmes undertaken included one on the integration into Norwegian society of unaccompanied minors. In general, the Norwegian Government recognized that States parties to the Convention must seek solutions in the best interests of children involved in such situations.

25. Mr. KOLOSOV asked whether the Norwegian authorities had heeded the concern voiced by the Human Rights Committee, in the concluding observations at its October 1993 session, about signs of growing intolerance towards migrant workers in Norway. Children, of course, found intolerance harder to bear than adults did.

26. Mr. HAMMARBERG thanked the Norwegian delegation for its further replies, but thought that one point he had raised about family unity had perhaps not been fully understood. He stressed that, if a family's application to stay in the country had been rejected and some members of the family had absconded, the others should not be forced to leave the country separately. Although the Convention made no specific reference to conditions of church asylum, it did provide applicable guidelines; in the Committee's view, a Government remained responsible for the welfare of all children while they were on its territory. He would welcome clarification of what the Norwegian authorities understood by emergency health care in such situations, and of the lengths of time that might be considered in determining whether further rights could be exercised. He was still concerned, moreover, about the risk that, in the absence of State financial responsibility, the provision of services by local authorities or voluntary bodies could vary from place to place.

27. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS said that she appreciated the detailed replies given in respect of refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as the fact that the initial report itself had not disguised the problem. Nevertheless, she felt that a number of aspects warranted further elucidation. The principle of domicile recognized pursuant to the Child Welfare Act, mentioned in paragraph 91 of the report, was a positive approach in regard to foreigners legally residing in Norway, but it was not clear how the notion of legal residence applied, for example, to those awaiting definition of their status. It was not by accident that article 2, paragraph 1, of the Convention called upon States parties to respect and ensure the rights of "each child within their jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind" and set forth no criteria based on domicile or nationality. On the subject of refugee situations, it should be noted that the "enjoyment of applicable rights set forth in the ... Convention", mentioned in article 22, paragraph 1, was broader in scope than the mere receipt of health and education services.

28. While appreciating the information given about religious education, she doubted whether the situation reflected full conformity with the provisions of article 2 of the Convention, particularly in view of the stipulation that parents who wished their children to be exempt from traditional religious education had to say so explicitly - a procedure which did not accord with the right to privacy. Nor was she fully convinced that the procedures described meant that all education was provided on the basis of equal opportunity, as called for in article 28; the Human Rights Committee had raised the same point in a slightly different context. Although the topic of criminal responsibility was to be taken up later, she wished to comment on the information provided, which, although greatly appreciated, seemed to emphasize punishment rather than criminal procedure as such. In particular, she was concerned about the possibility that criminal records might be kept.

29. Miss MASON, commenting on the delegation's reply to Mr. Hammarberg's question on asylum seekers, said that she had observed in her own country that children brought before the court tended to be intimidated by formal proceedings and the presence of uniformed police, whereas under informal conditions they were relaxed and far more likely to give a true account of themselves.

30. Given that the Sami were seen to be a separate community within the country, she wondered how they were incorporated into the community, and whether their lifestyle was significantly different from that of the general population. She also wondered why their numbers could not be properly established and whether or not they had the same system of registration as other Norwegians. Did they have their own birth or death registers, for example?

31. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI said that the delegation had given a legal reply to his question, whereas he had wanted to know whether the authorities had investigated the matter of possible illegal adoption and trade in human organs. His interest in the matter had been prompted during a recent visit to Honduras by suspicions voiced in connection with the closure of 18 children's centres to the effect that the children had been sent to Norway for adoption or even organ transplant purposes. The Norwegian authorities should perhaps conduct an investigation into those allegations if they had not already done so.

32. Mr. HJELDE (Norway) replying to questions raised, said that Mr. Kolosov had been right in suggesting that early stages of racism had been seen in Norway. While no group had admitted responsibility, there had been demonstrations in recent years, particularly against foreigners and asylum seekers. As a result, the Prime Minister had launched an anti-racist campaign in Norway and raised the issue in the Council of Europe. The most important measures at the national level would include better support for victims of racist violence and harassment and much swifter reactions against persons who had committed such acts. Furthermore, to promote awareness of racial violence as a social problem, there should be more and better information, and an examination into institutional ethnic discrimination. Norway had recently amended its Penal Code to make violence directed at an alien an aggravating circumstance from the point of view of punishment.

33. Mr. Hammarberg's comments regarding refugees had been noted. The question was under constant consideration by the Norwegian authorities, and every effort would be made to honour Norway's commitments under the Convention and other international treaties.

34. Mr. WILLE (Norway), replying to Mgr. Bambaren Gastelumendi, said that as far as he was aware the Norwegian authorities knew nothing about possible illegal adoptions or the sale of organs, but the matter would be reported in Oslo and looked into.

35. With regard to Miss Mason's question on the registration of the Sami population, the only register specifically relating to the Sami was the electoral register for the Sami Assembly, and in spite of the substantial increase in registrations between the first and second elections, they only amounted to some 10,000, whereas estimates put their number at between 30,000 and 40,000. Many Sami were so thoroughly integrated that they might not even be aware that they were of Sami descent, and, if they did, might not care or wish to be considered as Sami or in any way different. Neither birth nor death registers recorded ethnic background: Sami were registered as Norwegian as they had the same rights to Norwegian nationality as all other Norwegians. Their lifestyle was not significantly different but depended on where they lived. Those living in the six northern municipalities where the Sami Act prevailed tended to be involved in the traditional economic activities of the Sami, agriculture and reindeer husbandry, over which they had the monopoly in Norway, and with which they tended to be associated by most Norwegians.

36. The education issue continued to be studied in Norway and the Committee's comments would be duly reported.

37. With regard to racism and in reply to the question raised by Mrs. Santos Pais as to the measures taken since the October 1993 session of the Human Rights Committee, section 135A of the Penal Code had been amended to provide for the imposition of fines or imprisonment for up to two years for the dissemination, publicly or otherwise, of threats or insults, or for arousing hatred, persecution or contempt for any person on account of their religion, race, colour, national or ethnic origin or sexual proclivities. In addition, district prosecutors had been requested to report on how they were handling cases under section 135A with a view to ensuring stricter implementation of the provisions. A review of the situation was expected to take place in the near future.

38. Mr. HELLAND (Norway), replying to the question on the criminal records of young persons, said that if a person below the age of 15 was proved to have committed an offence, the case would be closed and forgotten. The Norwegian Parliament had considered making an appearance before a mediation board compulsory for children in certain circumstances, but the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs had concluded that such an appearance might be seen as punishment. Instead, the child welfare authorities were endeavouring to persuade children to meet the board voluntarily.

39. In the case of refugee children moved into municipalities, the municipality concerned had a duty of care, the costs of which were reimbursed by the county guardian. The matter had caused considerable controversy and the authorities were aware that the system could be improved. To that end, a cooperation arrangement had been made with the Red Cross to identify ways in which that organization might help.

40. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI, referring to issues Nos. 25 and 26 of the list of issues, requested further information on the problem of sexual abuse and details of any programmes for children with special needs resulting from physical or psychological abuse. Was there a secure institution for such children and, if so, did it also cater for refugee children?

41. Mrs. SANTOS PAIS, wondered whether, in view of the wording of paragraph 162 of the report, there was a total ban on torture, as required by the Convention.

42. On the question of parental guidance, she had had the impression from the delegation's replies that they regarded article 5 of the Convention as applicable only from the parents' point of view. In fact the provision emphasized the need for guidance to take into account the evolving capacities of the child including the exercise of his rights. The exercise of a child's rights with parental guidance had not been fully developed in the report and further information on that aspect would be useful.

43. With regard to the administration of juvenile justice, her impression was that Norway had no juvenile courts as such, or any specific procedure for children, and she wondered whether Norway was considering establishing any special measures under article 40 of the Convention. Bearing in mind also that the Convention required that deprivation of liberty should be limited to the minimum length of time possible and regarded as a measure of last resort, what was the position regarding children awaiting a legal decision?

44. Mr. HAMMARBERG said that it would be interesting to read the report on the sexual abuse of children which the Norwegian Government had submitted to the Parliament.

45. One problem was the fact that abused children found it very difficult to talk about such abuse and it was therefore very likely that the number of cases of sexual abuse was much higher than it would appear from official records. Another problem was the need to be able to contact children who had suffered sexual abuse and were completely silent about it without violating their integrity.

46. Mrs. EUFEMIO, noting that 1994 was the International Year of the Family, said that one of the observations made in the chapter on family environment

and alternative care of the Norwegian report concerned the evaluation of parental guidance and counselling programmes. In that connection, she asked whether pre-marriage counselling took place in Norway.

47. If the family environment was basic to the lives of children, many undesirable events in a child's life could be avoided through an improved family environment. She would like to know whether the family was the basic unit of society in Norway.

48. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI noted that the UNICEF report for 1993 drew attention to an increase in the number of suicides by children and adolescents in Norway and expressed concern regarding the reasons why children committed suicide.

49. Mr. WILLE (Norway) said that Mrs. Santos Pais was correct and that paragraph 162 of the report quoted article 96 of the Norwegian Constitution. While there was no specific provision prohibiting torture, there was no doubt that torture was prohibited. Under section 322 of the Penal Code, any individual who committed violence against the person of another or otherwise caused him bodily harm was guilty of assault and liable to a fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding a period of six months. That and the following section covered both people who ordered the assault and those who carried it out. Consequently, there was no doubt that the sections in question covered torture although no specific provision mentioned torture.

50. Mr. HELLAND (Norway) said that the parliamentary report on sexual abuse of children had not yet been considered by Parliament. A parliamentary committee would issue its remarks on the report on 7 June 1994 and the report would be debated in Parliament in mid-June.

51. With regard to the frequency of sexual abuse, it was very difficult to obtain reliable information but studies had been carried out and adults had been asked whether they had been sexually abused as children. From those studies, his Government estimated that approximately 5 per cent of the population had been sexually abused as children.

52. He noted that there were cases in Norway where children had accused a person of sexual abuse and it had probably not been true. However, both those children and those who had been sexually abused required treatment and his Government intended to strengthen its treatment capacity in that area. It was also necessary to make it clear to the population that sexual abuse was forbidden and should never happen. However, his Government was uncertain as to how to proceed. To its knowledge, such a task had never been undertaken in any country. Two project leaders had been appointed in that connection. Consideration was also being given to broadcasting a television programme on parental counselling. He recalled that a successful programme on parental counselling had been televised about 20 years previously. The projected programme, which could reach all parents in Norway, would be focused on children.

53. With regard to the subject of suicide, the authorities might not know the reasons why adolescents committed suicide but they were happy to note that the figures indicated a decline in their frequency.
54. Lastly, he said that when a child had committed a crime, he could be detained at the police station for four hours in order to enable his parents to come and take him home. It must be noted that the family was the most important unit in Norwegian society, as in other countries.

55. Mr. KOLOSOV asked whether a criminal investigation was carried out in the case of a suicide in order to determine whether it was suicide and not homicide.

56. Miss MASON said it was known that corporal punishment was not permitted in Norway and that sanctions existed in the event of such punishment. She would like to know whether there were any cases of violence committed against children in families in Norway.

57. With regard to punishment for sexual abuses, she asked whether it was restricted to terms of imprisonment or whether consideration was given to providing counselling to the abusers, especially where incest was involved.

58. In her view, the Norwegian report was rather sketchy with respect to the incidence of drug abuse and the treatment adopted for drug abusers.

59. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI said he wished to draw attention to the problem of prostitution and the fact that some travel agencies promoted sex tourism. He would like to know whether any measures were being taken in Norway with regard to that practice.

60. Miss MASON, referring to paragraph 454 of the report, said she would like to know why it was necessary for the Norwegian Government to award compensation to persons who had been sexually abused.

61. Mr. HJELDE (Norway) said, with regard to the question of sex tourism, that a campaign had been initiated in Norway with a view to making it clear to tourism operators and tourists that the matter involved an area where criminal law was applicable and where there were not only criminal implications but other consequences.

62. Mr. HELLAND said that in Norway a criminal investigation was undertaken in the event of a suicide.

63. With regard to the questions raised concerning drug abuse, he would have to seek that information and transmit it to the Committee at a later stage.

64. Referring to the question of corporal punishment, he said that his delegation did not know the frequency of its occurrence although it knew that it happened.

65. With respect to the matter of compensation for sexual abuse, he said that such compensation concerned cases where an adult person had had his whole life destroyed by such abuse when he was a child. The victim could apply to the Government for compensation and if his claim was proved, he would receive some kind of compensation.

66. On the question of drugs, his delegation did not have figures available at the present time but would try to obtain them for the following meeting.

67. Mgr. BAMBAREN GASTELUMENDI said that he would also welcome information on whether drug addiction was increasing and what kind of drugs was involved.

68. Mrs. EUFEMIO said she would like to know whether any difficulties had been encountered in working with single parent families.

The meeting rose at 5.50 p.m.

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