Jón Gnarr, a member of Alþingi, Iceland’s parliament, has publicly criticised the authorities for failing to provide adequate residential and treatment services for children facing multiple, complex challenges. The comments were reported today by Mannlíf and other Icelandic media outlets. Police say missing cases from residential facilities are frequent.
Gnarr stated that his patience with government inaction on this issue is exhausted, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive residential and treatment options for children who have significant and overlapping support needs. He argued the current situation places vulnerable children at risk, while officials avoid responsibility. “Maybe someone saves their face but the children perish in the meantime,” Gnarr was quoted as saying in an article, with the quote attributed to him by Miðjan (translated from Icelandic).
In recent days Gnarr shared a Kveik investigative programme on his social media, drawing wider public attention to the issue.
Police officer Guðmundur Fylkisson, who searches for missing children, told RÚV that he regularly looks for children gone missing from residential facilities, sometimes every month. He explained that such children often primarily need safety supervision so that they do not harm themselves or others.
Sources
- Mannlíf (first reported) in Icelandic
- Miðjan in Icelandic
- DV in Icelandic
- RÚV in Icelandic
- mbl.is in Icelandic
Image: Dontworry / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) · licence, original (resized) Illustrative image.
