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– It must be very difficult for children to understand. They have been told that they will see us again soon, but they do not know when it will be soon, says Hilda Birkelund Nøttveit (31) on TV 2 and continues:
– It is completely absurd how the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allows students to return home for Christmas, but cannot give exceptions for adoption trips where children of three to four years are waiting to meet their family in Norway.
Like 30 other Norwegian adoptive parents, she and her husband Tor Magne (36) are eager to see if they can travel to Thailand soon to bring home their two daughters, Alma (6) and Elise (5).
I have to meet the children
After three years of waiting, in March of this year they finally got to meet the children for the first time.
– We feel very fortunate to be able to bring the children home after three years. For some, this process takes even longer, says Hilda.
But then came the corona pandemic, causing great concern among the couple.
GET TO KNOW: Tor Magne Nøttveit (36) spent the little time he and his wife got to know the adopted children Alma (6) and Elise (5) better. Photo: Private
– It was a very pleasant meeting with the children, but it was more demanding with the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic. We still envision being able to spend the summer getting to know each other properly as a family, he continues.
– We made them the promise that we would see each other again soon, says Tor Magne.
Hilda adds:
– They seemed so happy to see Mom and Dad, and not least when we showed them pictures of what their rooms were like.
READY: This picture showed Hilda and Tor Magne Nøttveit the two girls who should have moved in in June. Now the room is empty, because they don’t know when to pick up the children. Photo: Private
But for the past seven months, they have not been able to see or speak to the children.
The plan was for the couple to travel to Thailand in June to bring the children home.
But when summer finally approached, it seemed dark for the Nøttveit family.
Discouraged from all unnecessary travel
Later, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised against all trips abroad that were not strictly necessary.
– It is very strange that they say in press conferences that education and children should come first. It doesn’t work that way for us, the couple says.
– You feel helpless. We did our best to pick up the children. But there has been nothing else to do but wait, says Tor Magne Nøttveit.
– It’s not nice. It’s very exhausting. We must always be prepared to wait, at the same time that we must be ready to go. Therefore, it is difficult to plan anything, says Hilda.
– Difficult situation
Helge Solberg, Children of the World leader Photo: Children of the World
Helge Solberg is the head of Verdens Barn, Norway’s oldest adoption agency. He fears that the Foreign Ministry will not change the rules immediately.
– The Ministry of Education and Research has already accepted trips abroad for students, so it is strange that this type of trip is not considered a necessary trip, Solberg.
He says that the situation is very demanding for everyone involved.
– It is a difficult situation for parents, but the worst is for children who do not know when they can come to Norway and see their parents, he says.
Now he believes that it is urgent to give permission for these trips.
– It is about taking care of children, and it should not take an unnecessarily long time, he emphasizes.
To bring children home from Thailand, parents also depend on the authorities there to give them permission to enter and bring the children home.
The adoption agency estimates that this will happen in a short time, as they have long received approval from the adoption agency in both Norway and Thailand.
Does not cover costs related to the crown
However, the biggest obstacle for the family has been the insurance company, which does not cover the costs related to the crown abroad.
To enter Thailand, you must have a guarantee that you will be covered for crown-related costs of up to 100,000 US dollars.
But because many of the big travel insurers follow the advice of authorities advising against all unnecessary travel abroad, the family is not covered.
Will not change the definition
The Foreign Ministry says they will not change the definition of travel advice.
When asked why adoption travel is not defined as a “strictly necessary travel”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds:
Siri R. Svendsen, press spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo: Government
“The Ministry of Foreign Relations advises against trips that are not strictly necessary for all countries.”
«… At the same time, a travel advice is advice, not a ban. Travel safety is an individual responsibility, and it is up to the individual to assess whether a trip is strictly necessary or not. We understand that this is a difficult situation, and each of us may have different reasons for considering a trip as strictly necessary, ”writes Siri Svendsen, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an email to TV 2.
On this basis, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not define what is meant by strictly necessary trips.
– Our opinion is that the insurance industry can carry out individual evaluations. We will encourage the person to contact their insurance company to clarify that they have valid insurance, she writes.
– You must evaluate if the pick-up trip is necessary.
This prompted the family policy spokesperson in FrP, Silja Hjemdal, to react. He asked the minister how he would ensure that adoptive parents can bring their children home from abroad, even in times of covid-19.
Before the weekend came the written response that was broadcast on Wednesday by NRK.
Ropstad writes that he has a strong understanding that the situation is difficult, but that each individual must consider whether the pick-up trip is necessary. He notes that there may be little help from Norwegian foreign service missions during the pandemic.
TIRED OF WAITING: Hilda and Tor Magne Nøttveit hope that the authorities can soon change the travel advice, so that they can bring the two children home from Thailand. Photo: Private
This means that the family cannot travel to Thailand as long as the insurance company itself does not grant exemptions for such travel.
Some make exceptions
Some insurance companies have now opened to grant exemptions for such trips, but subject to the transfer of all your insurance to them. Some have had the opportunity to travel without insurance, while others have purchased expensive insurance abroad.
– We have been told that companies like Gjensidige and Storebrand could possibly offer insurance covering the amount of the crown required by Thailand, but then we had to transfer all our insurance to them. We are happy with Frende and we really do not want to change, writes Hilda Nøttveit in an SMS.
Helge Solberg from NRK in Verdens Barn tells NRK that it is a paradox that several Norwegian insurance companies are taking responsibility, at the same time that the Norwegian authorities cannot say that these are strictly necessary trips.
– What kind of signal does this send to the families it applies to? And what signals does it send to the authorities of the other countries? he asks.
The family is also disappointed with the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
– Now they have just given permission for the students, who are over 18 years old, to return home. So it’s very special that three- or four-year-olds who have already been away for too long are not exempt from travel advice, believes Hilda Nøttveit.
Follow national travel tips.
The family’s insurance company, Frende, says they rely on the Foreign Ministry’s travel advice in their insurance contracts.
Frende Head of Communications Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen Photo: Frende
– Our travel insurance covers trips to red countries, such as Thailand, reports Frende’s communications manager, Heidi Tofterå Slettemoen.
However, he says the company cannot cover incidents related to the crown, on which families are completely dependent to enter Thailand.
– It depends on the authorities
– We cannot influence decisions about whether a country should close or if hospitals should be filled. Therefore, it is at the mercy of the health system of the country to which it arrives, he continues.
Slettemoen says they have a great understanding of the desperate situation adoptive parents find themselves in, but allow clients themselves to consider what travel is necessary for them.
– Do you make any exceptions, which in this case are adoptive families?
– We let our clients consider what is a necessary trip for them and therefore it is difficult to make exceptions. It is the authorities that are at stake here, as travel insurance coverage mainly follows your travel advice and exceptions. In special cases, we always do individual evaluations, Slettemoen replies.
Hilda and Tor Magne Nøttveit have also tried to contact Frende. Then they received a response from the company that they could not make an exception, because the conditions were established, even if this was a different trip.
However, it should be difficult to get an exception:
– When we do individual evaluations, we must know all the facts about the trip. Where are they going to travel, how is the situation exactly when the trip is going to take place, how is the health of those who travel and a series of other factors that can vary from one trip to another and from one week to another. It is not the need to travel alone that decides, many factors come into play, writes Slettemoen in an email to TV 2.
NO CONTACT: Since the visit in March, Hilda and Tor Magne Nøttveit have not had the opportunity to stay in contact with the children Alma (6) and Elise (5). Photo: Private
More difficult to adapt
– We were afraid that this case was a mess between the insurer and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, says Hilda.
She and her husband fear that the long time will make it harder for the children to adapt to Norwegian culture and learn the language.
– Alma (6) was supposed to start school this fall, but now we don’t know when she will have the opportunity to do so. They get older every day, she says.
They have now decided to change insurance companies, although it is something they would rather avoid. They hope that the company they move to will provide them with sufficient conditions so that they can take the children home.
