(Courthouse News) Norway violated the human rights of a Muslim refugee from Somalia when authorities removed her child from her care and placed him with a Christian family, Europe’s top rights court held Friday.
The European Court of Human Rights found that placing Mariya Abdi Ibrahim’s son with an evangelical Christian couple against her wishes violated her right to family life.
Ibrahim arrived in Norway at the age of 16, with her then-3-month-old son in tow. Originally from Somalia, she fled after the terrorist group al-Shabaab targeted her for being unmarried and pregnant. When her son was 10 months old, the Norwegian Child Welfare Services removed him from Ibrahim’s care, citing neglect and abuse. He was ultimately adopted by a Norwegian couple who are members of the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church and cut all ties with his biological mother.
