Samantha Harrell

Captive in Norway Samantha Harrell

Captive in Norway is the story of a family torn apart by the Norwegian child protective service agency (known as "Barnevernet") and fighting to get their children back. Few Americans know that underneath Norway's perfect façade lies an unthinkably wicked child abduction government institution that targets not only Norwegian children, but American-born children as well.
It is known as the Norwegian Child Welfare System (NCWS) or "Barnevernet." Norway's beauty and perceived safety does not belie its dark underbelly. A visitor passing through would never suspect the government of abducting its citizens' children at an alarming rate of five per day. Yet the reality of living in Norway, especially for immigrants and the poor, is that one's children may be taken from them at any time of day or night, for any reason, for any length of time.
This is the tragic story of an American family fighting, since 2019, to get their children out of the Norwegian foster care system. For more than two years, the children lived in three separate, secret foster homes, with reports of abuse by the foster families. The youngest child was finally returned to her biological family by court order in October 2021, but the two eldest children are still trapped in the foster system where only short, supervised visits with their parents are allowed.
Their loving, God-given parents continue to reside in Norway, praying, working, and waiting to welcome their children home safely. They continue to pursue the matter in Norwegian court, which tends to side with the state's child protective services. They're granted relatively short, supervised visits with their children occasionally. Sadly, these visits do little to lessen their trauma, worry, and overwhelming sense of loss. Will these innocent children be united with their family? What long-term effect might this traumatic experience have on their lives?