By Jenilyn Brhel
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

COPENHAGEN, Denmark – More than 150 instances of rape and assault have been uncovered by police in a remote region in Norway.

An investigation was conducted by police beginning in June 2016, after a Norwegian newspaper published accounts from 11 men and women who said they were assaulted. The police report documents 151 assaults spanning the period of 1953 to 2017.

Approximately 90% of the suspects and victims are part of the indigenous Sami community, who originally inhabited northern Scandinavia. The Sami community now lives in parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The community has an estimated population of 40,000 to 60,000.

The crimes span several generations, with some of the assaults dating back to 1953. The most recent crime occurred this past August. All of the crimes took place in a rural municipality called Tysfjord, which has a population of only 2,000.

Forty-three of the assaults were rapes, including of three children. Sexual intercourse with children under fourteen years of age is alleged to have occurred in 40 of the cases. The youngest victim is four years old.

Ninety-two suspects have been identified. They range in age from ten to eighty.

The Sami Parliamentary Council is an elected body representing the Sami people’s interests in Norway. Its president, Vibeke Larsen, called the scandal “a national tragedy” and urged Norwegian authorities to assist.

Larsen cited mistrust of the police as one of the reasons for the crimes going unreported. The Sami “don’t trust the police as much as the Norwegians do,” Larsen said. The Sami people have been told to become “good Norwegians and leave their own culture, language and symbols behind. That’s why they have distrust in the system.”

Head of Nordland County, Tone Vangen, acknowledged that the police “didn’t do a good job”, but also noted that the mechanisms within the Sami environment make it more difficult for police to investigate such crimes.

Anne Lindboe, ombudsman for the children involved, said “there has been a huge failure in the whole safety net that should have been around the children who have been subjected to abuse in Tysfjord.”

The police have acknowledged the mistakes made and stated that one of the aims of the investigation is to instill greater trust of Norwegian police in the Sami community.

Two people have been charged in ten cases so far, but many have been dropped due to the statute of limitations expiring.

For more information, please see:

CNN – Norway Police Uncover 150 Cases of Rape and Assault in Remote Region – 29 November 2017

Time – Rape and Child Sex Abuse in Remote Area Have Gone Largely Unreported and Uninvestigated, Police Say – 29 November 2017

USA Today – Norway Reeling After Multiple Rapes, Sex Assaults Uncovered Near Lapland – 29 November 2017

The Independent – Norwegian Police Uncover More Than 150 Rapes , Including of Children in Remote Region – 30 November 2017

By Jenilyn Brhel
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

LONDON, England – An Anglican minister has sparked criticism for urging Christians to pray for Prince George to be gay in order to garner support for same-sex marriages in the Church of England.

The controversial remarks can be found in a blog post titled “How to Change the Church of England”, and expound on plans for getting the Anglican Church to accept same-sex marriage. The post also asks congregants to pray “for the Lord to bless Prince George with a love, when he grows up, of a fine young gentleman”.

The post was made by Reverend Kelvin Holdsworth nearly two years ago and has since gone viral when the blog resurfaced after the announcement of Prince Harry’s recent engagement to Meghan Markle.

Although same-sex marriages have been recognized legally in England since 2013, they are not recognized by the Church of England.

Reverend Holdsworth is a provost at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow and is a member of the Scottish Episcopal Church, a division of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Communion is distinct from, but related to the Church of England. The Anglican Communion this year voted to allow clergy to solemnize gay marriages.

Holdsworth is known for making controversial statements. However, some found this blog post crossed the line.

Gavin Ashenden, a missionary bishop for the Christian Episcopal Church, told the BBC, “to use prayer as a mechanism for wishing this on Prince George is an unkind and destructive thing to do. It doesn’t have the prince’s best interests at heart, but uses him as a gender-political football.”

Prince George is third in line to the British throne, after his grandfather, Prince Charles and his father, Prince William. Prince George will become the head of the Church of England if he becomes the King of England.

Passages from the post have been widely disseminated on Twitter, with many users claiming that Holdworth’s post is excessively politically incorrect.

Holdsworth has since apologized for the outrage his post sparked, but indicated that his words have been misinterpreted and encouraged further discussion on the divisive topic.

“The issues about the church and its capacity to welcome same-sex couples who want to be married remain important,” Holdsworth said. “I’m not interested in continuing it through a conversation about Prince George. I would urge others, those who agree with me strongly and those who disagree with me strongly to turn our attentions to the actual matter at hand.”

For more information, please see:

The Guardian – Christians Should Pray for Prince George to be Gay, Says Minister – 30 November 2017

Time – U.K. Reverend Sparks Outrage After Telling Christians to Pray for Prince George, 4, to be Gay – 1 December 2017

BBC News – Gay Prayer for Prince George Remarks ‘Unkind and Destructive’ – 1 December 2017

Huffington Post – Minister Sparks Outrage After Asking People to Pray for Prince George to be Gay – 3 December 2017