The statement asserted that Norway is a democratic, multicultural society.
Rani Mukerji’s Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway, a film based on an Indian couple who fought the Norwegian government for the custody of their children, drew a sharp response from the country. The Norwegian Embassy called the film “a work of fiction”.
Mrs. Chatterjee v. Norway follows the story of an Indian immigrant couple whose world came crashing down in 2012 when their two children were removed from their care by the Norwegian foster care system due to differences in culture.
“Children will never be taken away from their families based on the cultural differences described. Eating with their hands or having children sleep in bed with their parents are not considered practices harmful to children and are not uncommon in Norway, regardless of cultural background,” the Norwegian Embassy said in his statement, emphasizing that “some general facts must be corrected”.
“The reason to place children in alternative care is if they are subject to neglect, violence or other forms of abuse.”
The statement asserted that Norway is a democratic, multicultural society.
“In Norway, we value and respect different family systems and cultural practices, even when these are different from what we are used to – apart from corporal punishment in education. There is zero tolerance for violence in any shape or form,” said the Embassy from Norway.
Child welfare, the statement said, “is not driven by profit” and refuted the alleged claim made in the film that “the more children put into the foster care system, the more money they make.” “Alternative care is a matter of accountability and is not a money-making entity,” it said.
The Embassy stated that children are placed in alternative care when they encounter neglect or are “subjected to violence or other forms of abuse.”
The statement emphasized that “such experiences” are difficult for those involved in it and that “child welfare cases are not easy” for the children, parents, and the Child Protection Service.
In taking Mrs. Chatterjee’s children away, the Norwegian government claimed that she fed her children using her hands. The couple was also accused of beating their children.
Saibal Chatterjee, in his review of the film for NDTV, wrote, “Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway is an overheated affair that sucks the air out of an internally moving story that deserved infinitely better. Rani Mukerji, for her part, lets it rip and the film journeys on its excesses . Anirban Bhattacharya and Jim Sarbh are accomplished actors. Their performances are noticeably more refined than the film as a whole. But Mrs. Chatterjee Vs Norway is a Rani Mukerji show. She is the only star here. She introduces everyone else. irrelevant.”