Today in Denmark: A roundup of the news on Friday
Shocking domestic violence statistic, irregularities revealed in foreign adoption process, bank account requirement for foreign workers could be lifted and other news from Denmark on Friday.
One in five murders in Denmark is spouse homicide
Every fifth murder committed in Denmark during the period 2017-2021 was a partner homicide, according to a new report from the Ministry of Justice's Research Office.
In numbers, this corresponds to 46 out of 223 murders in the period, the justice ministry said in a statement. This makes partner homicide the second most common type of homicide in Denmark.
It was most common for the crimes to take place in criminal environments.
The ministry’s report has been drawn up as part of an action plan against domestic violence and spouse homicide which the government presented last year.
READ ALSO: What can Denmark do to protect women at risk from domestic violence?
Vocabulary: partnerdrab – spouse murder / homicide
Danish adoption agencies were ‘aware’ of irregularities in South Korean adoptions
Danish adoption agencies were aware that South Korean partner agencies were changing the identities of infants who were adopted to Denmark in the 1970s and 1980s, according to a report from public authority Ankestyrelsen.
“Within the framework of the rules in place in South Korea at the time, it was possible to change information about the child's background and adopt a child without the knowledge of the biological parents,” the authority said.
“[Danish adoption agencies] AC Børnehjælp and DanAdopt were aware of this practice,” Ankestyrelsen concludeds.
This has "deprived adopted persons of the opportunity to learn about their own identity and history", but this does not necessarily mean that the adoption took place against the wishes of the biological parents, it said.
More recently, Denmark’s only remaining foreign adoption agency announced it was to close, bringing the number of annual adoptions from abroad in Denmark from hundreds in past decades to 0 today.
READ ALSO: Denmark ends adoptions from abroad as government sanctions bureau
Denmark to scrap rule requiring Danish bank account for foreign workers
The government is to exempt some foreign workers from a requirement to be paid into a Danish bank account, following a long campaign from business groups.
A bill is to be tabled exempting foreign workers who have received a work permit under the "researcher" scheme and four so-called "fast track" schemes from the requirement to open and receive payment in a Danish bank account.
"When renowned companies in Denmark experience some rules as being inappropriate, we of course take this seriously," Kaare Dybvad Bek, Denmark's Minister of Immigration and Integration, said in a press release announcing the move.
The Confederation of Danish Employers last year led a campaign to end the bank account rule, which can mean that new recruits go months without receiving a salary, as they must first obtain a residency permit, then a CPR number, a Danish address, a health insurance card and access to the MitID digital identification service.
READ ALSO: Why Danish businesses want to scrap bank account work permit rule
Vocabulary: bankkonto – bamk account
Danish Facebook use on the wane
Social media use in Denmark decreased last year according to a new analysis, which also predicts that less than half of the population could still be regularly on Facebook by the end of the year.
Media analysts from national broadcaster DR predict that 2024 could be the year in which the proportion of frequent Danish Facebook users drops under 50 percent.
Last year was not the first year to see Facebook use decline in Denmark. The proportion of daily Facebook users in 2022 was 68 percent, falling to 59 percent daily in 2023.
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One in five murders in Denmark is spouse homicide
Every fifth murder committed in Denmark during the period 2017-2021 was a partner homicide, according to a new report from the Ministry of Justice's Research Office.
In numbers, this corresponds to 46 out of 223 murders in the period, the justice ministry said in a statement. This makes partner homicide the second most common type of homicide in Denmark.
It was most common for the crimes to take place in criminal environments.
The ministry’s report has been drawn up as part of an action plan against domestic violence and spouse homicide which the government presented last year.
READ ALSO: What can Denmark do to protect women at risk from domestic violence?
Vocabulary: partnerdrab – spouse murder / homicide
Danish adoption agencies were ‘aware’ of irregularities in South Korean adoptions
Danish adoption agencies were aware that South Korean partner agencies were changing the identities of infants who were adopted to Denmark in the 1970s and 1980s, according to a report from public authority Ankestyrelsen.
“Within the framework of the rules in place in South Korea at the time, it was possible to change information about the child's background and adopt a child without the knowledge of the biological parents,” the authority said.
“[Danish adoption agencies] AC Børnehjælp and DanAdopt were aware of this practice,” Ankestyrelsen concludeds.
This has "deprived adopted persons of the opportunity to learn about their own identity and history", but this does not necessarily mean that the adoption took place against the wishes of the biological parents, it said.
More recently, Denmark’s only remaining foreign adoption agency announced it was to close, bringing the number of annual adoptions from abroad in Denmark from hundreds in past decades to 0 today.
READ ALSO: Denmark ends adoptions from abroad as government sanctions bureau
Denmark to scrap rule requiring Danish bank account for foreign workers
The government is to exempt some foreign workers from a requirement to be paid into a Danish bank account, following a long campaign from business groups.
A bill is to be tabled exempting foreign workers who have received a work permit under the "researcher" scheme and four so-called "fast track" schemes from the requirement to open and receive payment in a Danish bank account.
"When renowned companies in Denmark experience some rules as being inappropriate, we of course take this seriously," Kaare Dybvad Bek, Denmark's Minister of Immigration and Integration, said in a press release announcing the move.
The Confederation of Danish Employers last year led a campaign to end the bank account rule, which can mean that new recruits go months without receiving a salary, as they must first obtain a residency permit, then a CPR number, a Danish address, a health insurance card and access to the MitID digital identification service.
READ ALSO: Why Danish businesses want to scrap bank account work permit rule
Vocabulary: bankkonto – bamk account
Danish Facebook use on the wane
Social media use in Denmark decreased last year according to a new analysis, which also predicts that less than half of the population could still be regularly on Facebook by the end of the year.
Media analysts from national broadcaster DR predict that 2024 could be the year in which the proportion of frequent Danish Facebook users drops under 50 percent.
Last year was not the first year to see Facebook use decline in Denmark. The proportion of daily Facebook users in 2022 was 68 percent, falling to 59 percent daily in 2023.
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