The Aarhus Court is set to evaluate whether Danish authorities failed to protect a young girl who was sent to a so-called rehabilitation camp in Somalia by her parents in 2018. The 16-year-old girl, Amal, spent 16 months in a camp in Mogadishu before managing to escape. She is now involved in a legal case seeking compensation from the Aarhus Municipality (Aarhus Kommune) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Udenrigsministeriet), claiming that they did not do enough to safeguard her.
According to her lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, municipal caseworkers had several indications that Amal’s parents were planning to send their daughter to Somalia prior to her departure. Amal’s mother even directly asked a caseworker for assistance in sending her daughter away. Despite this knowledge, Aarhus Municipality did not intervene to prevent the situation, the lawyer asserts.
Amal’s time in the camp was marked by violence, deprivation of liberty, and indoctrination, Christoffersen states. She and a group of girls eventually managed to escape by overpowering a guard and were later transported away in a tuk-tuk, still chained together.
In addition to criticizing the municipality’s lack of intervention, Amal and her lawyer argue that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should have acted more swiftly and effectively to ensure Amal’s safety. According to them, Amal was in an unsafe situation in Somalia for a period before the ministry was able to offer protection, something they believe could have been avoided with better preparation from the ministry.
Aarhus Municipality describes the case as “unfortunate,” but has declined to comment further due to the ongoing legal proceedings. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has similarly refrained from making statements, as they do not comment on pending legal cases.
No criminal charges have been brought against Amal’s parents, as per the lawyer’s statements, a decision made at Amal’s own request after her return to Denmark. Amal is now an adult and is pursuing higher education.
The trial is scheduled to take place between May 6 and May 16 next year, and both the Danish Bar Association (Advokatsamfundet) and the think tank Justitia are supporting the case.