A Danish court has denied financial compensation to Amal, a woman who was forcibly taken to Somalia for re-education by her parents. The ruling has sparked concerns about the authorities’ ability to prevent such incidents.

Amal, who had lived in Aarhus her entire life, was sent to Somalia at the age of 16 in 2018. She endured violence, humiliation, and brainwashing in re-education camps aimed at forcing her to abandon her Western lifestyle and beliefs.

Prior to her abduction, Aarhus Municipality was aware of the threat, as Amal had reported to a case worker that her father had threatened to kill her and send her to Somalia. After 16 months, she escaped to Mogadishu and contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which took three weeks to find her a safe place. She eventually returned to Denmark in January 2020 with the help of the Danish ambassador to Kenya.

Amal believes the Danish authorities failed her. However, the court in Aarhus disagreed, ruling against her claim for 400,000 kroner in financial compensation from Aarhus Municipality and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amal’s case highlights a broader issue of re-education journeys and involuntary stays abroad. Since 2018, authorities have registered 282 inquiries related to such cases. Experts suggest that this number significantly underreports the actual prevalence of the problem. A 2018 study indicated that a considerable percentage of young people with non-Western backgrounds have been threatened with re-education journeys.

In response to this issue, the government criminalized parents who send their children on re-education journeys in 2018. Authorities were also granted the power to withdraw passports from children at imminent risk of being sent abroad. However, data shows that this measure has been used sparingly, raising questions about its effectiveness.

There are concerns regarding whether municipal case workers lack sufficient insight into cultural dynamics within certain communities. Regardless of the reasons, there is a lack of transparency regarding the specific measures municipalities have implemented to prevent re-education journeys since 2018. The government is urged to investigate whether municipalities are doing enough to educate employees and at-risk youth about options like passport withdrawal.