Romanian Parents Arrested in Denmark on Shaken Baby Syndrome Suspicions

A young Romanian couple, parents of a one-month child, is arrested in Denmark following suspicions of the shaken baby syndrome. They went to the local hospital with their one-month-old infant feeling ill. Doctors identified internal brain bleeding, which could be a sign of the shaken baby syndrome. In Denmark, this is punished with prison.

Police were alerted and started an investigation to determine the cause of the bleeding. Also, both parents were arrested, and now they are being detained in separate detention facilities for the following four weeks.

What is the ‘shaken baby syndrome’?

Internationally, shaken baby syndrome is the medical term used to describe the injuries resulting from shaking an infant or young child. Shaken baby syndrome occurs when a child is shaken violently as part of an adult/caregiver’s pattern of abuse or because an adult/caregiver momentarily succumbs to the frustration of having to respond to a crying baby or young child. Violent shaking is especially dangerous to infants and young children because their neck muscles are not fully developed and their brain tissue is exceptionally fragile. Their small size further adds to their risk of injury. According to the World Health Organization, about one third of severely shaken infants die and the majority of children that survive shaking suffer long-term health problems, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, or blindness.

Source: Haarr, R. N., Violence Against Children in State-Run Residential Institutions in Kazakhstan: An Assessment, National Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan and UNICEF, March 2011, p. 36., cited by bettercarenetwork.org

Even though the action of shaking the baby looks a lot less violent than, heaven forbid, hitting a child, the consequences for the child are, as quoted, among the most dangerous. Following this shaking, a child might even die.

The problem with this syndrome is that it’s challenging to prove it. Apart from the parents’ statements, admitting the guilt, or from witnesses, the simple medical examination cannot tell that such an action causes the internal bleeding. This is why the authorities investigating such cases rely on statements from the parents, which are later to be corroborated with other evidence.

What the law in Denmark says in cases of shaken baby syndrome?

The Danish Criminal Code punishes any form of violence with a fine or imprisonment of up to 3 years.

Any person who commits an act of violence against, or otherwise attacks the person
of others, shall be liable to a fine or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding three
years.

Danish Criminal Code, art. 244

Corporal violence in Romania is punished with imprisonment of up to 2 years. According to Romanian law, when violence happens within the family, the punishment could be prolonged by one-fourth.

The family of the Romanian mother involved in the case tells quite a different story and accuses Danish authority of abuse

The brother of the Romanian mother published on Facebook the following message, telling quite a different story about what happened.

Hello. I am writing to inform you of the situation of my sister, Sorana Rotundu, who is currently under arrest together with her husband, Ionuţ Rotundu in various penitentiaries and the almost one-month-old child was taken by the Kommuner authorities without any explanation and refusing to offer any information to the family about the child’s health or location.
They lived in the Danish city of Sander Omme with Mathias, their newborn baby.
A few days after birth, the baby began to cry a lot and did not rest at all. The midwife’s support was requested several times, from which they received the answer that it may be from colic or that the babies are still crying.
After repeated ambulance calls, Mathias arrived at the hospital. We understand that he has been diagnosed with a cerebral haemorrhage, but we have not been informed of any medical or medical evidence. We haven’t heard from Mathias since.
When we say nothing we mean everything, such as medical investigations, MRIs, medical statements or any kind of evidence in this regard. The brief explanations and the answer received were that: “These are confidential data!”. We represent the family of a newborn child and we do not conceive of knowing anything about him. Neither where he is, nor what his health is, nor whether he has been handed over to a foster family.
Please support us in prayer if you have any useful information that would be useful to us: a Danish lawyer specializing in child protection issues or any official here who might be involved in resolving the situation!

Beni Ciobotaru, the brother of the Romanian mother involved in the case, on Facebook

His post reached thousands of reactions from shocked Romanians. The methods used by the Danish institutions seem to punish the suspects first and prove their deeds later. This is beyond any understanding.

Denmark has quite an infamous history of child abuses in state-run homes

The problem in Nordic countries, such as Denmark or Norway, is the existence of the infamous National Councils for Children. In Denmark, this is called Børnerådet. In Norway, it is called Barnevernet. Romanian parents living in these countries have quite an experience with this sort of institution, which was initially set up to protect children’s interests.

Cases of abuses against Romanian families were presented in the international media. Barnevernet practically kidnapped children of only a couple of months from their parents on the grounds of ‘mistreatment’. Nothing could be proved, and in most cases, the institution returned the kids to the families, as happened in the Bodnariu case.

Denmark is no further from this, but it’s even worse. In 2019, the Danish Prime Minister officially apologized for all the abuses in the state-run homes for children. These abuses included forced labour, slavery, corporal punishments, drugs and sexual abuses, all proven to have happened from 1945 to 1976.

All these occur in a country whose embassy in Bucharest regularly publishes on its social accounts lessons of democracy and good behaviour to be followed by the Romanian people. Maybe sometimes, but only when the Danish finish boasting with their level of happiness, their marvellously designed architecture, and their large-scale use of green energy in the country, they should also focus on improving human to human relationships. And make the institutions understand they are not dealing with robots but with humans in flesh and blood. And make the authorities know that a mother-child bond can be seriously shaken (sorry for the unintended parallel) by punishing with no evidence. It’s just an opinion.

What can Romania do in this particular case?

The legal procedures in Denmark cannot be interfered with by any external intervention, might it be diplomatic. Therefore, all the Romanian state can do is find out from the Danish authorities what their official position is in this case. Meanwhile, the parents will be detained for the following four weeks.

The Romanian ambassador to Copenhagen says he would talk to the child’s mother on Sunday, February 6. But this isn’t going to change the decision of the Danish authorities, nor the procedure against the parents. And, as everybody knows, the Romanian embassies aren’t helpful in such cases of abuses against Romanians.

The problem here is, beyond any discussion on the efficiency of the Romanian diplomats, that Denmark, along with Norway and Nordic countries with such laws and procedures, seems to punish without trial. Separating the parents from their children before any deed is proved is the perfect definition of abuse. On the other hand, the child protection institutions justify their actions by getting the possibly abused children out of that possible abusive environment.

Who pays for the months or years of abusive separation when everything proves to be a misunderstanding? Who pays for the abused children in state-run homes? Who pays for the tormented lives of the parents? Or for their ruined health?

The answer is NOBODY. When the investigation in this particular case is over, and a fair trial will reveal the truth, if the decision will rule in favour of the Romanian couple, no random and lame excuses of the Danish Prime Minister will compensate for any abuse of the Danish institutions against the Romanian parents and children.