We would draw attention to the opinion of the first children's ombudsmanfor Norway, given in her address at an international conference on workin her field in 1992.
"A child as young as five or six is quite capable of stating an opinionor a view, provided the adult seeking it speaks to them in language andvocabulary they understand. This is something, we in the western worldappear to have forgotten."
She illustrated the point by referring to children in third worldcountries, some as young as five or six, who had set up businesses. Thisis something that needs to be borne in mind by both social services andfamily division lawyers.
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