A man in his thirties and the child’s own mother have been indicted after a 14-year-old girl is alleged to have been married off in a religious ceremony outside Bergen. An imam is said to have conducted the marriage ceremony.

It is Bergensavisen that reports the case, which is the first of its kind in Hordaland.

The child welfare services (Barnevernet) in one of the municipalities surrounding Bergen reported the matter at the turn of the year 2025. A notification came from a person who claimed to have attended the celebration after the marriage was entered into. The person stated that a 14-year-old bride and the adult bridegroom had been married by an imam, before the union was celebrated.

All those involved are from the Middle East.

Dowry and guardian

The police have secured videos from the ceremony. The most important video shows, according to the indictment, a telephone conversation which the police believe proves the very entering into of the marriage. The size of the dowry is also said to be mentioned.

The mother’s role in the case is central. According to the indictment, she agreed the dowry, ensured that the girl’s uncle was present as guardian for the bride, and contributed to the practical execution of the ceremonies.

Both of the accused deny criminal guilt and maintain that it concerns only an engagement.

Had to obtain a Danish expert on Islam

The case has been such unfamiliar terrain for the Norwegian police that they had to obtain an expert opinion from a Danish professor with a doctorate in the history of religions and a special field in Islamic studies — in order to interpret the evidence.

– The case has been challenging to investigate, says police prosecutor Lene Burmo to BA.

She explains that the police had to seek knowledge about traditions and religious customs from the country the parties come from in order to understand at all what they were investigating.

The child “wishes” the relationship

In questioning, the injured party, the girl, has expressed that she herself wishes to be in the relationship with the accused man. This changes nothing, the police prosecutor emphasises.

– A child is never competent to consent to entering into a marriage, regardless of how strongly the child herself wishes to marry. It is the responsibility of the adults to prevent a child marriage from taking place, says Burmo.

The police prosecutor points out that child marriage may involve negative social control, honour-related violence, sexual abuse, and early pregnancy. It is also the same closed environments that make such cases difficult to investigate.

– The environments and those involved may close themselves off, says Burmo, who assumes that the number of unreported cases is large and that very few reports reach the courts.

Legislative amendment was intended to capture more cases

Entering into marriage with a person under 16 years of age carries a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment. A legislative amendment in 2021 expanded the provision to also cover “marriage-like relationships”, precisely in order to capture religious marriages that fall outside Norwegian marriage law.

The accused were originally also charged with forced marriage, which carries a penalty twice as severe. This charge was dropped on evidential grounds during the investigation.

The case is to be heard before Hardanger and Voss District Court (Hardanger og Voss tingrett) in the coming months.