Husker du adopterede Amy, der blev tvangsfjernet med magt? Her er hun i dag

Do you remember adopting Amy, who was forcibly removed? Here she is today

FIE WEST MADSEN

Amy, who was forcibly removed as a 12-year-old, is current in a new documentary. In the video you can see Amy explaining how she has it today and see a clip from the new documentary where Amy gets forced back in 2012. Show more

Amy Steen became famous in 2012 when she was forcefully removed from her foster family, and the violent scenes since then went around the country.

Originally, Amy Steen was adopted from Ethiopia and has for many years struggled with the system to allow her to see her biological family. Today, however, everything has changed.

In the spring, Amy Steen for 18 years, and this means that for the first time in her life she can freely travel to Ethiopia and visit her biological mother and sister.

"I've been waiting for this, since I was adopted, I think. I didn't celebrate the day in any particular way, but I was looking forward to finally being able to decide for myself, "Amy Steen tells B.T.

In the new documentary film 'Amys Vilje', director Katrine W. Kjær, who has previously been behind the documentary 'The Adoption's Prize' about the girl Masho, has followed Amy Steen for five years, since she was 13 and up until summer last year.

Amy Steen was adopted at the age of nine with her sister from Ethiopia because her biological mother was ill with HIV and thought she was going to die. However, the adoption was not successful, and Amy Steen later came to the foster family where she was well. In 2012, her case received a lot of attention, when she was forcefully removed from the foster family of educators from Næstved Municipality, while the police were also present.

The Ombudsman subsequently went into the case and stated that Næstved Municipality had acted illegally and with unnecessary use of force.

Although it is six years ago today, the experience is still deep in today's 18-year-old Amy.

"I've seen the clip once with another, but never quite to the end. I find it very difficult, and I hate the sound of it. I can't see it, it's very hard for me, because then everything just comes back. I was powerless in that situation, "explains Amy Steen, adding:

"I feel they stamped me as a criminal. It was violent and there were police officers. I also hate the police today because they were watching while I was being pulled out of the house. "

After the forced removal, Amy Steen was allowed to return to her foster family, but from here the torture had not ended. Amy, as is also evident from the new documentary, received a refusal from the municipality and the Ombudsman to visit her biological mother in Ethiopia. But two years ago, Amy chose to stay away from the rules one night and went to Ethiopia with the help of the Against Child Trafficking organization.

Today, Amy Steen has just returned home after four months in her home country, and with her she has her biological sister Beti, who is in Denmark for the first time.

It has given Amy Steen tremendous peace that she is now free to travel between the two countries. But she still feels a big split.

"If I can, I would like to live in both countries. I have friends, girlfriend and relationships here in Denmark, and then I have my family in Ethiopia. It is also what makes, everything is enormously difficult and split. You don't know where you belong, ”explains Amy Steen.

She speaks today the Ethiopian language Amharic fluently, but before that she had long often felt outside.

"We often went to a café, where I was really sorry. Many people thought I was really crazy because I spoke English while sitting with my family, ”says Amy Steen.

Amy Steen has today taught the Ethiopian language Amharic fluently. Amy Steen has today taught the Ethiopian language Amharic fluently. Photo: Jens Nørgaard Larsen Show more

Later, however, she went back to the same café and told how it was connected, and that servant was somewhat embarrassed. Also in Denmark, Amy experiences that she is not always understood.

"When I was forced to stay away, there was an older gentleman who wrote that I was so lucky and I should appreciate being in Denmark because otherwise I might have ended up in the street. But I didn't want rich Denmark, and that was never my wish, ”says Amy Steen.

Her own friends may also question and ask if she really wants to live in Ethiopia when there is so poor now.

"It's true you don't have much, but my mother has me, and I have her, and it's worth more than house and money for us," she says.

Amy Steen dreams of using her own experience in the future to help others.

"No matter how you look at it, there will always be problems for the children after an adoption. Even when I was older and knew I was adopted, I still had a lot of questions, ”says Amy Steen, adding:

"I want to help make a difference, and if some adoptive children and adoptive parents do not have good relationships, then I can really get into it and hopefully help."

The film 'Amys Vilje' is premiered in Grand Tuesday and will be shown on TV2 on Thursday.

Danish:

Husker du adopterede Amy, der blev tvangsfjernet med magt? Her er hun i dag

FIE WEST MADSEN

Amy, som blev tvangsfjernet som 12-årig, er aktuel i ny dokumentar. I videoen kan du se Amy forklarer, hvordan hun har det i dag og se et klip fra den nye dokumentar, hvor Amy bliver tvangsfjernet tilbage i 2012. Vis mere

Amy Steen blev landskendt i 2012, da hun med magt blev tvangsfjernet fra sin plejefamilie, og de voldsomme scener siden gik landet rundt.

Oprindeligt blev Amy Steen adopteret fra Etiopien og har i mange år kæmpet med systemet for at få lov til at se sin biologiske familie. I dag er alt dog forandret.

I foråret fyldte Amy Steen nemlig 18 år, og det betyder, hun for første gang i sit liv frit kan rejse til Etiopien og besøge sin biologiske mor og søster.

»Jeg har ventet på det her, siden jeg blev adopteret, tror jeg. Jeg fejrede ikke dagen på nogen særlig måde, men jeg havde glædet mig til, at jeg endelig kunne bestemme selv,« fortæller Amy Steen til B.T.

Any Steen bor i dag i en ungdomsbolig i Næstved og har fået et job på et plejehjem. Any Steen bor i dag i en ungdomsbolig i Næstved og har fået et job på et plejehjem. Foto: Jens Nørgaard Larsen Vis mere

I den nye dokumentarfilm 'Amys Vilje' har instruktør Katrine W. Kjær, der tidligere har stået bag dokumentaren 'Adoptionens pris' om pigen Masho, fulgt Amy Steen gennem fem år, fra hun var 13 og frem til sommer sidste år.

Amy Steen blev i en alder af ni år adopteret sammen med sin søster fra Etiopien, fordi hendes biologiske mor var syg med hiv og troede, hun skulle dø. Adoptionen var dog ikke vellykket, og Amy Steen kom siden i plejefamilie, hvor hun havde det godt. I 2012 fik hendes sag stor opmærksomhed, da hun med magt blev tvangsfjernet fra plejefamilien af pædagoger fra Næstved Kommune, mens politiet også var til stede.

Ombudsmanden gik efterfølgende ind i sagen og udtalte, at Næstved Kommune havde handlet ulovligt og med unødig brug af magt.

Selvom det er seks år siden i dag, så sidder oplevelsen stadig dybt i den i dag 18-årige Amy.

Sagen om Amy

Amy blev som ni-årig adopteret fra Etiopien, fordi hendes mor troede, hun skulle dø af HIV.

Hun havde det svært hos sin adoptivfamilie og kom siden i pleje.

Hele Danmark så senere, hvordan Amy med magt blev tvangsfjernet fra plejefamilien. Siden kom hun dog tilbage.

I mange år har Amy uden held forsøgt at få tilladelse til at besøge sin biologiske familie i Etiopien.

For to år siden flygtede hun derfor ud af Danmark og til Etiopien.

I dag er Amy 18 år, kan selv bestemme, og rejser mellem begge lande.

FOLD UD

»Jeg har set klippet én gang sammen med en anden, men aldrig helt til ende. Jeg har det meget svært ved det, og jeg hader lyden af det. Jeg kan ikke se det, det er meget svært for mig, for så kommer alt bare tilbage. Jeg var magtesløs i den situation,« forklarer Amy Steen og tilføjer:

»Jeg føler, de stemplede mig som en kriminel. Det var voldsomt, og der var politibetjente. Jeg hader også politiet i dag, for de stod og kiggede på, mens jeg blev trukket ud gennem huset.«

Efter tvangsfjernelsen fik Amy Steen lov at vende tilbage til sin plejefamilie, men herfra var kvalerne ikke slut. Amy fik, som det også fremgår af den nye dokumentar, afslag fra kommunen og Ombudsmanden på at besøge sin biologiske mor i Etiopien. Men for to år siden valgte Amy en aften at være ligeglad med reglerne og stak af til Etiopien med hjælp fra organisationen Against Child Trafficking.

I dag er Amy Steen netop hjemvendt efter fire måneder i sit hjemland, og med sig har hun sin biologiske søster Beti, som er i Danmark for første gang.

Amy Steen er i dag 18 år. Amy Steen er i dag 18 år. Foto: Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Det har givet Amy Steen en enorm ro, at hun nu frit kan rejse mellem de to lande. Men hun føler stadig en stor splittelse.

»Hvis jeg har mulighed for det, vil jeg gerne bo i begge lande. Jeg har venner, kæreste og relationer her i Danmark, og så har jeg min familie i Etiopien. Det er også det, der gør, det hele er enormt svært og splittet. Man ved ikke, hvor man hører til,« forklarer Amy Steen.

Hun taler i dag det etiopiske sprog amharisk flydende, men inden da havde hun længe ofte følt sig udenfor.

»Vi tog tit på café, hvor jeg blev helt vildt ked af det. Mange mennesker troede, jeg var helt vildt snobbet, fordi jeg talte engelsk, mens jeg sad med min familie,« fortæller Amy Steen.

Amy Steen har i dag lært det etiopiske sprog amharisk flydende. Amy Steen har i dag lært det etiopiske sprog amharisk flydende. Foto: Jens Nørgaard Larsen Vis mere

Senere tog hun dog tilbage til samme café og fortalte, hvordan det hang sammen, og den pågældende tjener blev noget flov. Også i Danmark oplever Amy, at hun ikke altid bliver forstået.

»Da jeg blev tvangsfjernet, var der en ældre herre, der skrev, at jeg var så heldig, og jeg skulle værdsætte at være i Danmark, for ellers var jeg måske endt på gaden. Men jeg ville ikke have rige Danmark, og det var aldrig mit ønske,« fortæller Amy Steen.

Hendes egne venner kan også sætte spørgsmålstegn og spørge, om hun egentlig vil bo i Etiopien, når der nu er så fattigt.

»Det er rigtigt, man ikke har meget, men min mor har mig, og jeg har hende, og det er mere værd end hus og penge for os,« siger hun.

Amy Steen i Kongens Have. Amy Steen i Kongens Have. Foto: Jens Nørgaard Larsen

Amy Steen drømmer om i fremtiden at bruge sine egne erfaringer til at hjælpe andre.

»Lige meget hvordan du kigger på det, så vil der altid opstå problemer for børnene efter en adoption. Selv da jeg var ældre og vidste, jeg var adopteret, havde jeg stadig virkelig mange spørgsmål,« siger Amy Steen og tilføjer:

»Jeg vil gerne være med til at gøre en forskel, og hvis nogle adoptivbørn og adoptivforældre ikke har godt samvær, så kan jeg virkelig sætte mig ind i det og forhåbentlig hjælpe.«

Filmen 'Amys Vilje' har forpremiere i Grand tirsdag og bliver torsdag vist på TV2.