“Vi ere en nasjon vi med?” “We are a nation, we?”: Children’s Rights in Norway — Research, Policies and Practices

Abstract

The poem above was written by Henrik Wergeland, one of the best-known Norwegian poets, in 1814, the year Norway got its own constitution. In 2014 Norway celebrated 200 years as an autonomous nation, free from Denmark. As the text in the poem reveals, children were included as citizens in the new nation. For 200 years, on every National Day in Norway (17 May), thousands of schoolchildren all over the country have been marching in the national parade, often dressed in traditional national costumes, marking their local identity, swinging their Norwegian flags. The children’s parade illustrates the central place of children in the building of the new nation, as important social actors. Moreover, it reflects the symbolic value of children, closely connecting them to overarching national values, such as democracy, freedom and equality.

Vi ere en Nation vi med, vi Smaa en Alen lange: et Fasdreland vi frydes ved; og Vi, Vi ere mange. Vort H j er te veed, vort 0je seer, hvor godt og vakkert Norge er, vor Tunge kan en Sang blandt fleer av Norges Eressange.

(Henrik Wergeland 1814)

We, are a Nation we, we small, one Alen long: a “fatherland” we rejoice at; and We, We are many. Our Heart Knows, our eye sees, how good and beautiful Norway is, our Tongue knows a song among several of Norway’s Honorary Songs.

(English translation from old Norwegian)