Reports on children in distress continue to grow

Reports to Danish authorities about children in concerning conditions have increased by over 11 percent from 2022 to 2023, reaching approximately 170,000 notifications from professionals. These reports concern children and adolescents aged 0-18. The trend has been steadily rising since 2020, when around 136,000 reports were made. Rasmus Kjeldahl, Director of Børns Vilkår, sees it positively that more people inform authorities about children’s welfare concerns, but he hopes that even more ordinary citizens become familiar with and use the reporting system. A survey by Børns Vilkår showed that nearly half of adults would notify authorities about physical abuse, and 39 percent for psychological abuse. Schools and educational institutions are most often the ones reporting. All citizens aware of child neglect have a legal duty to report, which can be done anonymously. Around 13,000 children and youths were placed in care in 2023, and 113,000 received preventive measures at home.