For fifteen years, a man subjected his wife and children to violence. Then he suggested a family holiday to their country of origin. He coaxed and pressured them into going, and once there, he confiscated their passports and return tickets. He was aided by his own family, with whom they were staying, to maintain control over his wife and children—even when he returned to Norway.
This was one of the cases Anja Bredal encountered while researching how women in Norway are subjected to transnational violence by partners, their partner’s family, or their own parents. The case was heard in a Norwegian district court a few years ago. The man was convicted.
Bredal has interviewed women who have experienced violence and studied criminal court verdicts in Norway. She describes a practice that has occasionally received media attention but relatively little scholarly focus.
“Perpetrators exploit ties to multiple countries to establish and maintain regimes of violence and control. This can take many forms—from abandoning family members in the country of origin to threats of killing the wife’s relatives there,” says Bredal, a researcher at NOVA, OsloMet.
We live increasingly globalised lives. Yet our current penal code is weak when it comes to addressing violence committed abroad– NOVA researcher Anja Bredal
Record number of cases in 2024
Bredal has not investigated the full extent of transnational violence, but the government’s Competence Team against Negative Social Control and Honour-Related Violence recently reported a record 1,402 individual cases in 2024 (bufdir.no).
A portion of these were transnational—for instance, 30 percent involved involuntary stays abroad or fear of such stays. According to The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs (Bufdir), the actual figures are likely much higher, as many victims do not dare to report.
Fear of losing control
Bredal explains that women or children living under violent regimes may become especially vulnerable if the family has ties to another country.
“It is often when the perpetrator fears losing control that the transnational element comes into play. Perhaps a daughter has a boyfriend she’s not supposed to have, or a wife has learned Norwegian against her husband’s wishes and has heard about a shelter. Then the family’s connection to another country can offer the perpetrator a way to retain control.”
She interviewed around 97 women, but for this study she has focused on those with a migration background, who made up about a quarter of the sample. They came from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, the Czech Republic, and Turkey.
In many of these countries, the support systems are weaker than in Norway; there may be few or no shelters, and in some cases, legislation favours the man over the woman.
We mustn’t downplay it when a woman says her family in the country of origin has been threatened. It may be a real and serious threat.– Anja Bredal
Difficult to get help abroad
“If someone is sent to their country of origin against their will, the perpetrator or his contacts may ensure that the victim cannot access a Norwegian diplomatic mission,” Bredal explains.
At the same time, getting help can be difficult even if they do reach out. According to a report from the Institute for Social Research, only a small number of women who seek Norwegian help abroad manage to return home (samfunnsforskning.no).
“What support you receive depends on several factors, including whether the person is a Norwegian citizen. Preventing a woman from establishing a secure legal affiliation with Norway may be part of the violence regime.”
Support services must be aware
Bredal stresses that professionals within the Norwegian support system must be aware of the phenomenon of transnational violence and how it may manifest.
In one criminal case, a woman living in Norway had a personal safety alarm, and her partner was under a restraining order. Still, she was deeply distressed because no one was protecting her family in Pakistan.
In some cases, the perpetrator may not only forcibly return the woman to her country of origin but also take custody of their children remaining in Norway.– Anja Bredal
“We mustn’t downplay it when a woman says her family in the country of origin has been threatened. It may be a real and serious threat. She may know that her partner’s family has resources, and that the local legal system is weak,” says Bredal.
“It’s difficult for Norwegian authorities to take action in other countries, but a transnational perspective can help us better understand the fears and strategies of the woman,” she adds.
Violence maintained from a distance
Bredal underscores that transnational regimes of violence can take many forms. Violence can be perpetrated across several countries over extended periods. Threats may often exploit a woman’s lack of knowledge about Norwegian conditions—for example, she may be told that Norwegian police will rape her and deport her if she seeks help.
Threats can also be effective because the woman knows the situation in her country of origin all too well. For instance, the perpetrator might threaten to tell her family that she has been unfaithful—bringing shame upon her and potentially severe consequences, especially in the country of origin.
In some cases, the perpetrator may not only forcibly return the woman to her country of origin but also take custody of their children remaining in Norway.
Violence may affect partners, minors, and adult children alike, and it can even be exercised remotely.:
“If you’ve lived in a regime of violence for a long time, you’re in a constant state of fear. The perpetrator can maintain control via the phone.”
Legal system not fit for transnational violence
The Norwegian Penal Code generally applies to offences committed within Norway. To prosecute crimes committed in another country, they must usually be punishable in both jurisdictions.
However, Section 5 of the Penal Code outlines a few exceptions—situations where crimes committed abroad may be prosecuted in Norway even if not punishable in the country where they occurred. Female genital mutilation and forced marriage are examples. Abuse in close relationships used to be an exception too, but this has since changed.
“We live increasingly globalised lives. Yet our current penal code is weak when it comes to addressing violence committed abroad,” says Anja Bredal.
In 2020, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security submitted a legislative proposal to reintroduce abuse in close relationships as an exception. This proposal was later expanded in the white paper NOU 2024: 13 Law and Freedom (regjeringen.no). According to the ministry’s communications department, the government will consider this expanded proposal as part of its follow-up to the NOU.
Reference
Bredal, Anja (2022). Transnational Regimes of Family Violence: When Violence Against Women Crosses Borders. In Bows, Hannah; Fileborn, Bianca (eds.): Geographies of Gender-based Violence: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective. Bristol University Press.
About the research programme
Anja Bredal’s study is part of the Domestic Violence Research Programme, a research initiative focused on understanding violence in close relationships and its consequences for those affected. The programme will conclude in 2025/2026.
