Tis case of the Czech family is also getting known in India. A planned letter to the Norwegian ambassador in India, and another letter to the Czech ambassador in India, have been put out on facebook by Suranya Aiyar, who is greatly concerned with the ways of Western child protection in general and has done a lot of useful work on the issue. Compare for example:
Petition to the Indian National Human Rights Commission: Indians want their government to guard against western CPSSuranya Aiyar, Lawyer & critic of foreign confiscatory child care regimes - At Press Conference held on 12 October 2012 at the Women's Press Club, New DelhiSave your child from UNICEFUnderstanding and Responding to Child Confiscation by Social Service AgenciesThe planned letters to the respective ambassadors can be signed on facebook and will then be sent to the embassies in New Delhi. The letters will have a summary "Facts of the Michalakova case" appended.
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New Delhi
October 9, 2015
His Excellency Milan Hovorka,
Ambassador of the Czech Republic,
Embassy of the Czech Republic,
50 M Niti Marg
New Delhi – 110021
Letter of Appreciation and Support regarding the humanitarian and child-friendly intervention of the Czech Republic in the case of the persecution of Czech family, Michalakova, by Child Protection Authorities in NorwayExcellency,
We, the undersigned, are following with deep concern the case of the Czech Michalakova boys in Norway who have been snatched from their parents by Child Protection Authorities (Barnevene) in Norway. We understand that the siblings have been separated into different foster homes, their rights to their parents have been permanently terminated and the younger boy has been placed for forced adoption in Norway.
We are shocked to see the Norwegian authorities taking such brutal steps when the boys have grandparents and aunts in the Czech Republic who have been appealing to the Norwegian authorities to be given the boys. This is a gross denial of the boys’ right to their family and to being raised in the culture of their origins.
We have had similar experiences of children of Indian parents in Norway being snatched by Barneverne which refuses to release such children for repatriation to their extended family in India. In the cases where efforts against the Norwegian authorities to reunite families have been successful, the children are thriving, happy and well-settled in India.
There indeed appears to be a severe humanitarian crisis in countries like Norway with despotic and, often racist, Child Protection Authorities snatching children from parents on spurious grounds and denying them a relationship even with extended family members.
We would like to express our appreciation and support for the Czech Government’s robust humanitarian intervention in the Michalakova case. We wish you success in this laudable and child-friendly endeavour. We express our sympathies to the brave mother of the boys, Eva Michalakova, in her battle to regain custody of her children.
Yours sincerely,
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New Delhi
October 9, 2015
His Excellency Nils Ragnar Kamsvag,
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway,
Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway,
50 C Shantipath, Chankayapuri
New Delhi – 110021
Re: Persecution of Czech family, Michalakova, by Child Protection Authorities in NorwayExcellency,
This is to bring to your kind attention our deep concern regarding the plight of the Czech Michalakova boys confiscated by Barneverne in Norway. In previous cases the Norwegian Government has observed that Barneverne can act harshly and unjustly. We are happy to inform you that the children returned to India in the Bhattacharya case are thriving with their mother and grandparents here.
We are hopeful, that despite the many differences between nations, as human beings, we can all feel the same concern that two innocent boys with willing family members in the Czech Republic to take over their care should not be orphaned in Norway.
We have submitted a statement in support of the interventions of the Czech Government in this matter, a copy of which is enclosed for your kind consideration.
Yours sincerely,
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FACTS OF THE MICHALAKOVA CASE
The Michalakovas were a Czech family living in Norway with two boys. In May 2011, Norwegian Child Protection Authorities (Barneverne), started abuse proceedings against the father claiming that he had sexually abused the elder boy. The proceeding were initiated upon on a statement the boy had allegedly made in kindergarten that his father had “fumbled with his hand over the pyjamas”.
The children, then aged about 5 and 2 years, were sent for an assessment to a local hospital which did not confirm any abuse and the police dropped the case due to lack of evidence.
Despite this, Barneverne continued the case and in February 2012, the boys were placed in separate foster homes with the children being permitted to see their mother only twice a year. During visitations she was under Barneverne surveillance and instructed not to embrace her sons or speak to them in the Czech language.
Barneverne allegedly told the mother that the children would be returned to her if she divorced their father. But even though she divorced the father, the boys were not returned and she now found herself to be at the receiving end of investigations by the Barneverne for parental incompetence. There were allegations that she had smacked her elder boy on the bottom.
With the prospects of the mother winning the case for custody of the children before Norwegian authorities looking weak, the boys’ grandparents and aunt from the Czech Republic applied for permission to take over custody of the boys, but were refused.
The children’s mother appealed to the Czech Government for help, which took up the case at the highest level. The Czech President wrote in protest to the Norwegian King, the Czech Foreign Minister issued a series of protest notes to the Norwegian Ambassador and various members of the European Parliament have protested about the case. There were public demonstrations in the Czech Republic against the Norwegian actions.
However, the Norwegian authorities only hardened their position with the publicity given by the Czechs to the case and in the last few days orders were issued permanently terminating the mother’s parental rights and placing the younger boy (now 6 years old) in a Norwergian adoptive family. Barneverne officials have reportedly said that these actions were owing to the mother’s going to the press about the case and not releasing the boys’ passports to the Norwegian authorities.
In response, the Czech President has cancelled his invitation to the Norwegian Ambassador to attend the celebrations for a major national event, the anniversary celebrations for the independence of Czechoslovakia in 1918.
Ironically, though the entire case started with sexual abuse allegations against the father, he has been allowed to retain some parental rights over the elder boy, and the main target of Barneverne has become the mother. Listed below are links some reports on the case:
A summary of the main facts of the case from November 2014:
http://www.mhskanland.net/page10/page226/page226.htmlPrague cancels invitation to Norway to join Independence day celebrations:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/10 ... .html?_r=1Czech President writes to Norwegian King:
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/zeman- ... se/1225551Norway refuses custody to childrens’ aunt in Czech Republic:
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/prague ... -7/1266637http://www.praguemonitor.com/2015/02/10 ... her-sisterRecent report in the Czech media (dated October 6, 2015) on the Michalakova case:
http://www.czech.cz/cz/Zivot-a-prace/No ... -take-chilReport mentioning smacking by mother and Norwegian authorities claim that they had good reason for removing the boys:
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/norway ... sy/1171354Barneverne tightened moves against mother because of publicity given to her case:
http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/norway ... er/1218251********