She thought they were going on holiday. Then her husband confiscated her and the children’s passports

For 15 years, a man subjected his wife and children to violence. Then he suggested a family holiday to their country of origin. He coaxed and pressured them into going, and once there, he confiscated their passports and return tickets. 

He was aided by his own family, with whom they were staying, to maintain control over his wife and children – even when he himself returned to Norway.

This was one of the cases Anja Bredal encountered while researching how women in Norway are subjected to transnational violence by partners, their partner’s family, or their own parents. The case was brought before a Norwegian district court a few years ago. The man was convicted.

Bredal has interviewed women who have experienced violence and studied criminal court verdicts in Norway. She describes a practice that has occasionally received media attention but relatively little focus in research.

“Perpetrators exploit ties to multiple countries to establish and maintain regimes of violence and control. This can take many forms – from abandoning family members in the country of origin to threats of killing the wife’s relatives there,” says Bredal, a researcher at the research institute NOVA, part of OsloMet.

Record number of cases in 2024

Bredal has not investigated the full extent of transnational violence, but the government’s Competence Team against Negative Social Control and Honour-Related Violence recently reported 1,402 individual cases in 2024, a new record (link in Norwegian).

A portion of these were transnational. For instance, 30 per cent involved involuntary stays abroad or fear of such situations. 

According to the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), the actual figures are likely much higher because many do not dare to report.

Fear of losing control

Bredal explains that women or children living under violent regimes may become especially vulnerable if the family has ties to another country.

“It's often when the perpetrator fears losing control that the transnational element comes into play. Perhaps a daughter has a boyfriend she’s not supposed to have, or a wife has learned Norwegian against her husband’s wishes and has heard about a shelter. Then the family’s connection to another country can offer the perpetrator a way to retain control,” says Bredal.

She interviewed around 97 women, but for this study, she focused on those with a migration background, which made up about a quarter. They came from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, the Czech Republic, and Turkey.

In many of these countries, the support system is weaker than in Norway. There may be few or no shelters, and in some cases, legislation favours the man over the woman.

Difficult to get help abroad

“If someone is sent to their country of origin against their will, the perpetrator or his contacts may ensure that the victim cannot access a Norwegian diplomatic mission,” Bredal explains.

But getting help can be difficult even if they do reach out. According to a report from the Institute for Social Research, only a small number of women who seek Norwegian help abroad manage to return home.

“What support you receive depends on several factors, including whether the person is a Norwegian citizen. Preventing a woman from establishing a secure legal affiliation with Norway may be part of the violence regime,” she says.

Support services must be aware

Bredal believes it is important that people in the Norwegian support system are aware of the phenomenon of transnational violence and how it can manifest.

In one criminal case, a woman living in Norway had a personal safety alarm, and her partner was under a restraining order. Still, she was deeply distressed because no one was protecting her family in Pakistan.

“We mustn’t downplay it when a woman says her family in the country of origin has been threatened. It may be a real and serious threat. She may know that her partner’s family has resources, and that the local legal system is weak,” says Bredal.

It is difficult for Norwegian authorities to take action in other countries, but a transnational perspective can make the woman’s fear and strategies more understandable, she adds.

Violence can be maintained from a distance

Bredal underscores that transnational regimes of violence can take many forms. Violence can be perpetrated across several countries over extended periods. 

Threats can often exploit a woman’s lack of knowledge about Norwegian conditions – for example, she might be told that Norwegian police will rape her and deport her if she seeks help.

Threats can also be effective because the woman knows the situation in her country of origin all too well. For instance, the perpetrator might threaten to tell her family that she has been unfaithful. This could bring shame upon her and have severe consequences, especially in the country of origin.

In some cases, the perpetrator may not only forcibly return the woman to her country of origin but also take custody of their children remaining in Norway.

Violence may affect partners, minors, and adult children alike, and it can even be exercised remotely.

“If you’ve lived in a regime of violence for a long time, you’re in a constant state of fear. The perpetrator can maintain control via the phone,” says Bredal.

Legal system not fit for transnational violence

The Norwegian Penal Code generally applies to offences committed in Norway. To prosecute crimes committed in another country, the offence must generally be punishable in both countries.

However, Section 5 of the Penal Code outlines a few exceptions – situations where crimes committed abroad may be prosecuted in Norway even if they are not punishable in the country where they occurred. 

Two examples are female genital mutilation and forced marriage. Previously, abuse in close relationships was also such an exception, but this was changed.

“We live increasingly globalised lives. Yet our current penal code is weak when it comes to addressing violence committed abroad,” says Anja Bredal.

In 2020, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security submitted a legislative proposal to reintroduce abuse in close relationships as an exception. This proposal was later expanded in the white paper NOU 2024: 13 Law and Freedom. According to the ministry’s communications department, the government will consider this expanded proposal as part of its follow-up to the NOU.

Reference: 

Bredal, A. Transnational Regimes of Family Violence: When Violence Against Women Crosses Borders. In Bows, H. & Fileborn, B. (Eds.), Geographies of Gender-based Violence. A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective (pp. 150-164), Bristol University Press, 2022. DOI: 10.51952/9781529214529.ch009

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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no

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