The foreign minister intervenes after Sweden “kidnapped” Polish children

Published 21 August 2024 at 07.08

Law & Right. The Polish government is now officially intervening in the case of four Polish children who have been forcibly taken into custody by Swedish social services and placed in various foster homes in Sweden. Remix News reports.

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The Klaman family

• Eksjö forcibly detained Polish children in Poland

Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has personally become involved in the case after a request for support from the Polish think tank Ordo Iuris, which is assisting the affected family legally.

The case concerns Robert and Ewa Klaman, a Polish couple who together with their four children returned to Poland after living in Sweden. Despite the fact that the family was resident in Poland and all involved are Polish citizens, the Swedish social service in Eksjö decided to forcibly take the children into custody due to allegations of child abuse and authoritarian parenting. The decision was enforced by Polish authorities, which led to the children being sent back to Sweden and placed in three different foster families. According to the parents, the children are forbidden to speak Polish, and the Swedish approach has drawn harsh criticism in Poland and has been compared to “kidnapping”.

Foreign Minister Sikorski has now announced that his ministry is actively investigating the matter and that it has begun cooperation with the Polish Ministry of Justice, which has the main responsibility in cross-border legal matters. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes that this is a complex issue with international implications, which requires careful handling and coordination between the two ministries.

The left-liberal government in Poland has been criticized for its inaction on the matter. Justice Minister Adam Bodnar has so far taken no measures to have the children returned to Poland, citing that Sweden has exclusive jurisdiction in the case. This decision has been criticized by Ordo Iuris, which believes that the Polish government should do more to protect its citizens, not least when it comes to the welfare of children.

However, Radoslaw Sikorski has made it clear that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to support the family and work with the Department of Justice to find a solution.