Norwegian authorities reduce Czech mother’s access to children taken into care

The authorities in Norway have reduced a Czech mother’s access to her children to two visits of 15 minutes a year. A decision on whether to put the two boys up for adoption has not yet been reached. Mother Eva Michaláková, her lawyers and a delegation of Czech politicians are in Norway at present for talks with Norwegian authorities. They removed the children from the care of their Czech parents in 2011 on suspicion that they were being sexually abused; however, the police have ruled out that possibility. Mrs. Michaláková told Czech Radio that the only Norwegian law she had broken was to slap the children on the behind when they were disobedient. She said she had not abused them and was not a bad mother. After the mother applied to a Norwegian court last year to have the children returned, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured Norway that it would monitor the children and their parents if they were allowed to return to the Czech Republic.

Author: Ian Willoughby