Child ombudsman challenges claims of rising violence among children

It is misleading to describe young children as perpetrators of violence when they lose control in situations they cannot handle, Iceland’s ombudsman for children, Salvör Nordal, told mbl.is.

Nordal, who was a guest on the Dagmál programme this week, said public discussion about behavioural problems among children was often too harsh. She argued that children were frequently reacting to circumstances they were unable to manage.

“I strongly dislike it when people talk about increased violence among children when we are actually talking about children who cannot cope with the situations they have ended up in at school,” Nordal said.

She said a child might have behavioural problems while lacking adequate support from the surrounding environment. If the child could not manage the situation, they might lose control and someone could be injured as a result.

“But we cannot talk about little children, even those as young as preschool age, as having committed violence, as has sometimes been the case in the discussion,” she said.

Nordal said adults were responsible for creating an environment in which children could thrive and feel well. She also linked the debate about increased violence among children to a long-standing lack of available services. Waiting lists were too long, and many children did not receive the services and support they needed.

“We are often talking about the same problem. It simply has many faces and appears in different ways. I think we need to see more of the connection between these issues,” she said.