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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/nordic-countries-halt-southeast-asian-adoptions-amid-legal-scrutiny/

The Nordics

Nordic countries halt Southeast Asian adoptions amid legal scrutiny

Published January 20, 2024 – By Editorial staff

Photo: Tanaphong Toochinda/Unsplash

In a number of cases, it is unclear whether the birth parents actually consented to the adoption.

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Norway suspends all adoptions from several Southeast Asian countries after reports of illegal adoptions. Denmark goes further and temporarily suspends all international adoptions.

Danish International Adoption (DIA) has for some time been the only organization facilitating international adoptions in Denmark. In the past, Danish social authorities have stopped DIA from facilitating adoptions from South Africa and other countries because of suspicions of illegal adoptions.

Now the organization has decided to stop all adoptions from abroad, according to Danish state broadcaster DR. The Philippines, India, Taiwan, Thailand and the Czech Republic were the last five countries from which DIA facilitated adoptions, which will no longer be possible. The announcement comes after the country's social welfare agency saw signs of "violation of rules in this area" and it is unclear how long the suspension will last.

Norway suspends adoptions from Southeast Asia

Norway's Schibsted newspaper VG investigated adoptions from the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan, where babies were found to have been sold and identified with false birth certificates. Following the report, the Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir) has now decided to stop all adoptions from these countries.

In the case of Thailand, one of the reasons given is that there is "uncertainty as to whether biological parents give voluntary consent to children being put up for adoption". In the Philippines, the risk of falsification is high, and in Taiwan there is a lack of transparency regarding payment and "the involvement of the biological parents in the process".

All pending adoptions from these countries will be stopped. In addition, no new adoptions will be allowed from South Korea, but those already approved will be allowed to complete the adoption. The reason is that "the country has not shown a need for international adoptions to Norway".

Philippines under review in Sweden

In Sweden, adoptions from these countries are allowed, but the Philippines is under review by the Swedish Agency for Family Law and Parental Support (MFOF) after VG's revelation.

– We are in contact with Norway and waiting for more information, Tommy Marksén, head of department at MFOF, told the Bonnier newspaper Expressen.

Adoptions from Madagascar and Panama were stopped last year because the activity may violate international laws and conventions, according to Bonnier's DN. Adoptionscentrum, which arranges adoptions to these countries in Sweden, questioned the authority's decision. However, the organization recently decided to stop adoptions from South Korea.

Other countries or adoption cases may come under scrutiny in Sweden after the Norwegian revelation.

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editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finland-to-allow-wolf-hunting-next-year/

Finland

Finland to allow wolf hunting next year

Published yesterday 8:42 am – By Editorial staff

Photo: iStock/CreativeNature_nl

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The Finnish government presented new legislation on Thursday that will allow population management wolf hunting next year. 65 wolves are to be shot next year.

The Natural Resources Institute Finland estimated earlier this fall that there are approximately 430 wolves in Finland and that the population has increased by 46 percent in the past year. The sharp increase has prompted the government to allow hunting to reduce problems.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah justifies the decision by noting that wolves are moving increasingly closer to populated areas.

— The goal is legislation that can sustainably and long-term reduce the problems caused by wolves, she tells Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Martin Hägglund, chairman of the game council in Southwest Finland, welcomes the proposal.

— There are too many wolves in certain parts of Finland. Therefore, we have problems that we must address, he says.

But environmental organization Nature & Environment is critical. According to executive director Jonas Heikkilä, the wolf population is not sufficiently viable for hunting. He believes the wolf population should be around 500 individuals to be classified as viable.

— Now it just feels like the government is pushing through regional politics, he says.

The legislative changes are made possible by the EU Council of Ministers' decision this summer to downgrade the wolf's protection status from strictly protected to protected. The changes are set to take effect in January 2026 after being processed by the Finnish Parliament.

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norway/norwegian-mayor-raises-alarm-over-refugee-policy/

Norway

Norwegian mayor raises alarm over refugee policy

Migration crisis in Europe

Published November 21, 2025 – By Editorial staff

Photo: iStock/Sinicakover

Editorial staff
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Four out of five kroner in social assistance goes to refugees in the Norwegian city of Sarpsborg. Now the municipality's mayor is criticizing Norway's integration policy and calling it a failure, citing a new municipal report.

In the Norwegian city of Sarpsborg, with approximately 60,000 inhabitants, a new municipal report has revealed figures sparking debate. A full 79.1 percent of the financial social assistance paid out during 2024 went to refugees.

Mayor Magnus Arnesen from the Conservative Party (Høyre) is now taking a strong stance against the Norwegian state's integration policy.

— The municipal director presents figures that I believe show that integration policy in Norway is not working. It is inadequate, the mayor tells Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

The report also shows that half of the immigrants in the municipality have a refugee background, compared to one-third at the national level. Over the past 15 years, the number of immigrants in Sarpsborg has increased by 132 percent, from 6,115 to 15,140 people.

According to Arnesen, the problems are partly due to how the Norwegian refugee reception system is designed. Refugees granted residence permits are initially settled in a municipality but are free to move after five years without losing their introduction benefits.

Many then choose to move to larger cities like Sarpsborg, Fredrikstad, or Drammen – so-called secondary settlement. The problem is that they arrive without work and without the state funding that municipalities receive for primary settlement.

Disagrees

This week, Labor and Integration Minister Kjersti Stenseng from the Labor Party (Arbeiderpartiet) met with the mayors of Sarpsborg and Fredrikstad to discuss the problems.

But she disagrees with Arnesen that integration policy has failed.

— No, I don't agree with that. We have many good examples of people who come to this country, learn the language, and find work, says Stenseng.

Editorial staff
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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/concerns-about-childrens-safety-at-finnish-daycare-centers/

Finland

Concerns about children’s safety at Finnish daycare centers

Welfare collapse

Published November 19, 2025 – By Editorial staff

Photo: Markus Spiske/Unsplash

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A large proportion of staff at Finnish Swedish-speaking daycare centers feel that the environment is unsafe for children. Staff shortages are identified as the main issue.

In April 2025, Finnish public broadcaster Yle sent out a survey to over a thousand employees in early childhood education in Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kyrkslätt, and Kauniainen. A total of 324 people responded to the survey.

The results show that six out of ten employees feel that the environment is physically or emotionally unsafe for children. Staff shortages are identified as the recurring problem. Nearly 200 people describe in their open-ended responses situations where too few adults are responsible for too many children.

— Staff have been replaced in quite a short time, in several groups. It affects the children's safety and well-being greatly, says Marika, who works at a daycare center, to Yle.

Early morning hours and late afternoons are particularly critical. Marika reports that on one occasion she was solely responsible for thirteen children under three years old. According to Finnish law, there must be at least one qualified person per maximum of four children under three years old. However, by calculating an average for the entire day, daycare centers can meet the requirement statistically.

Only one-third of all respondents believe they will still be working at the same daycare center in five years.

Jenni Tirronen, head of early childhood education in Helsinki, confirms that burnout is a major problem.

— We are naturally very concerned about the burnout. Our own staff survey shows that approximately 60 percent of our employees feel that they do not recover sufficiently after the workday, says Tirronen.

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/norway/norwegian-experts-sound-alarm-over-weight-loss-medication/

Norway

Norwegian experts sound alarm over weight-loss medication

Published November 18, 2025 – By Editorial staff

Photo: iStock/Douglas Cliff

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

More and more people are using weight-loss medications to lose weight. Now Norwegian experts are sounding the alarm that these drugs may trigger a new form of eating disorder – a so-called "dieting disorder" where patients become trapped in destructive behavior.

The use of various weight-loss medications has increased in many countries recently, with drugs like Wegovy and the type 2 diabetes medication Ozempic increasingly being used for weight loss. These drugs have gained traction because they contain semaglutide, which increases the feeling of satiety.

Danish experts have previously warned that this type of medication can worsen and even trigger various types of eating disorders, with a larger proportion of patients taking the medication in a destructive manner. Now Norwegian experts in the field are also stepping forward, noting that there is an entirely new patient group – those who cannot stop taking weight-loss medications.

— We're getting quite a few people coming to us after having taken weight-loss medication for a while who say they can no longer control it themselves, but they don't dare stop taking the medication because they will then gain weight, says psychologist Bente Sommerfeldt to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

"Dieting disorder"

Sommerfeldt specializes in eating disorders and says that more and more people in the field are talking about how the growing market for obesity medications has triggered what may become a new diagnosis.

— We are on the verge of getting yet another eating disorder, which we might call dieting disorder.

General practitioners also see risks with the use of weight-loss medication and believe that there is currently no good method for actually stopping it once you've started.

— At present, we have no good method for stopping this medication. The most important thing is therefore that we speak clearly with patients, says Torgeir Hoff Skavøy, who is chairman of the Norwegian Association of General Practitioners.

Cathrine M Lofthu, who heads the Norwegian Directorate of Health, says they take the experts' warnings very seriously and that we must recognize this is a social problem.

— We have created a society where it is difficult to make good choices, she says.

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