A Swedish court has upheld the right of Swedish authorities to seize a child from a homeschooling Christian couple who were about to leave the country to become missionaries in India. There was no evidence of abuse. One of the complaints against the couple is that the child was not properly vaccinated.
There are also reports that senior police officials in Sweden have criticised local police and social workers for their actions.
In its opinion, the court noted that the child, Dominic, had some untreated cavities and had not been vaccinated. The court also said that because Dominic had not been in school he had been “socially isolated.” This, the court said, demonstrated that the parents were not aware of the impact their decision to homeschool would have on Dominic’s future development and opportunities.
Swedish authorities forcibly removed Dominic Johansson from his parents, Christer and Annie Johansson, in June of last year from a plane they had boarded to move to Annie’s home country of India.
The officials did not have a warrant nor have they charged the Johanssons with any crime. The officials seized the child because they believe home schooling is an inappropriate way to raise a child and insist the government should raise Dominic instead. Home-schooling is legal in Sweden but is being increasingly restricted and Christian couples who home-school their children are viewed with particular suspicion.
Lawyers with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a US group involved in defending religious freedom, and the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) are providing legal advice to the couple in order to persuade the Swedish government to return the seven-year-old child to his parents.
“Parents have the right and authority to make decisions regarding their children’s education without government interference,” said ADF Legal Counsel Roger Kiska, who is based in Europe. “Without help, the parents in these cases are really powerless since the system is so one sided.”
“It’s one of the most disgraceful abuses of power we have ever witnessed,” said HSLDA attorney Mike Donnelly. “The Swedish government says it is exercising its authority under the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in their unnecessary break up of this family.
“In addition, the Swedish Parliament is considering an essential ban on home schooling. We have heard that other home-schooling families in Sweden are having more difficulty with local officials. We fear that all home-schooling families in that country are at risk.”
Swedish social services initially limited visitation to the child to two hours per week but now have curtailed that to one hour every fifth week and no visit at all for Christmas because the social workers will be on vacation.
Social workers and the court have mentioned the psychiatric condition of Mr. and Mrs. Johansson. However, Mr. Johansson vehemently denies any such mental problems.
“I have had a mental check with a psychiatrist who has given me a clean bill of health,” says Christer Johansson. “My poor wife, on the other hand, has been absolutely traumatized by this kidnapping. She is in a deep depression and has been hospitalized on several occasions. Is it any wonder? Our only child has been stolen from us and we have only been permitted to see him a few times since he was taken.”
On December 17, a Swedish court ruled in Johansson v. Gotland Social Services that the government was within its rights to seize the child. They cited the fact that Dominic had not been vaccinated as a reason to remove him permanently from his parents and also repeated the provably false charges that home-schoolers do not perform well academically and are not well socialised.
Last year, Swedish authorities removed Christer and Annie Johansson’s son from their care because home schooling is not considered appropriate in the country.
A former Swedish social worker who spoke with HSLDA anonymously severely criticized how current social workers are treating the Johanssons.
“This case is an absolute outrage,” the former social worker said. “From the taking of the child off a plane by uniformed police officers to the absurd visitation schedule and now the complete cessation of visits. The social workers in this case are letting their pride interfere with the best interests of this little boy. In Sweden the socialist mindset of the government is that it knows what’s best for kids—better than their own parents. And in the case where a family, like the Johanssons, may do things that are different, the government intervenes.”
