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– A sad and serious case, according to the Norwegian Sports Confederation. At the same time, they claim that they thoroughly checked the man’s background before he arrived in Norway on an exchange.
– We can confirm that this case refers to a person who is on an exchange through the Norwegian Sports Confederation, Rune Arctander tells Nettavisen. He is the leader of international cooperation for the development of NIF.
Accused of rape of two children under 14 years of age
It was in May that a responsible person at Vålerenga Football was taken into custody on suspicion of sexual abuse of minors.
The case has been thoroughly investigated and the person in question is accused of two violations of article 299 of the Penal Code, which refers to the rape of children under 14 years of age.
The man in his 20s is accused of having two children under the age of 14 performing acts that correspond to sexual relations with himself.
In the current penal code, all sexual relations with children under the age of 14 are classified as rape.
The main hearing at the Oslo District Court begins on Tuesday.
Admit guilt
The man’s defense attorney, Heidi Ysen, says the defendant admits the facts.
– He admits criminal guilt and did so immediately at the first questioning, Ysen tells Nettavisen.
The Norwegian Sports Confederation emphasizes to Nettavisen that the most important thing for them now is that the young victims and their families who want to leave this behind and do not want a mention of the case are taken into account.
– What do you know about the man’s background before he arrived in Norway in the fall of 2019? Have you been previously convicted?
– We perform background checks on all participants in our exchange program, if the information that a candidate has been previously convicted, they will not be accepted as a participant, responds Rune Arctander.
– Since the police certificate only applies to a person who came to Norway and placed him in a Norwegian sports club, what did you do to ensure that he was not an inappropriate person?
– We obtain police certificates from countries that are possible and that have such a scheme. In addition, we have specific measures aimed at people who participate in the exchange program, Arctander responds.
– A sad and serious case
Everyone applying for an exchange in Norway must also go through a reference check in their home country, he says.
– Before practicing in Norway and partner countries in the South, all participants complete a two-week training. This training includes a course on the prevention and management of sexual harassment and abuse in sport, says Arctander.
He points out that a separate meeting is also organized with the participants in which the NIF reviews the background for a police certificate in Norway, the use of a police certificate in Norwegian sports and the behavioral requirements.
– What does NIF think about the fact that the person is now accused and has admitted abuse of minors under 14 years of age?
– This is above all a sad and serious matter. The case must be heard in the court system and therefore it is not natural for the Norwegian Sports Confederation to comment on an imminent criminal case, Arctander responds.
– No unknown problem
Per Tøien, NIF’s sports policy advisor, confirms to Nettavisen that it is not unusual for foreigners to come to Norway to take on training assignments.
– What does the NIF think about the problems this raises when it comes to having control over what kind of people have responsibilities in sport, and a police certificate has little value?
– This is not an unknown subject for Norwegian sports, and it is at least as important for everyone who comes to Norway to live here and participate in the sports movement as volunteers, as it is for those who come here to take on training tasks says Clothes for Nettavisen.
It says that the advice of the Norwegian Sports Confederation regarding these cases is that people coming from countries where police certificates are issued, must present a certificate from the country they come from.
At the same time, it emphasizes that people who come from countries like no have a scheme with police certificates or equivalent, you will still have the opportunity to volunteer in Norwegian sports.
– In such contexts, our advice is to build around the person and the tasks to be performed. What attitudes are expected of volunteers in Norwegian sports should be informed about the scheme with police certificates and it should be reported that a police certificate will be obtained after the person in question has resided in the country for some time, says Tøien.
At the same time, it also assigns part of the responsibility to each individual sports team that hosts those people.
– We request that the guidelines against sexual harassment and abuse be revised, and the sports team is advised to support the tasks of the sports team, including more people in the apparatus around the athletes or teams where the person acts as a volunteer, says Tøien.
VIF: – Has spent many rounds with ourselves.
Tine Grødahl is a club advisor at Vålerenga Football and has had follow-up responsibility while the case has been ongoing. Answer the following questions if the club could have done something different.
– We have done many rounds with ourselves and we have received outside help to evaluate the case. There are some routines that we are going to change. Among other things, we will be even clearer when telling coaches, managers, parents and players what our guidelines are and where the limits go, and what can or cannot be expected of our people with a trusted role in children and youth soccer. . We’ve had a lot of good routines, but we’ve also become more aware of what can be done differently, Grødahl tells Nettavisen.
Victim assistance attorney Eitya Rehman has yet to respond to Nettavisen’s investigation.
The case is scheduled at the Oslo District Court on November 10-12. The case carries a penalty of more than six years in prison.
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