The Johannson case is a very troubling case. Sweden is obviously struggling with homeschooling, a struggle made hard by the fact that they provide such extensive services for families. I have seen this in the US where homeschoolers often met with more resistance in areas with "good" schools. To gain the right to homeschool in the US, families have faced and continue to face visits from child welfare authorities who have immense power and often poor accountability.
The Johansson family wanted to homeschool but found it difficult in Sweden and they tried to work with local and then national officials. Eventually the family decided to return to the mother's native country, India, and they were on the plane to do so when state officials took custody of a child who remains in custody today, several years later, as the case winds through the courts. There was no reason to assume the family was negligent in any way and these actions have removed a child from his family for an extended period of time, itself a harmful action.
- Links where you can help are in this Yahoo post.
- A Timeline on the case at Free Sweden
- A deeper critique of Swedish family policy is made by exiled Swedish homeschooler and author Jonas Himmelstrand: : here (scroll to bottom) and also here: http://goo.gl/xHKfe
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