Red Barnet says Danish rules brand teenagers convicted of sharing intimate images as people who might sexually abuse children, because the convictions appear on the børneattest for ten years.
The criticism was published by DR on November 13, 2026. Pernille Spitz, head of protection against abuse at Red Barnet, says the law hits teenagers too hard when they are convicted of sharing intimate images.
Under Danish law, illegal sharing of an intimate image of a person under 18 counts as child pornography. Cases are registered on the børneattest, the certificate designed to stop adults who are sexually attracted to children from working or volunteering near them. Per Spitz, a 17-year-old who did something very stupid is not necessarily sexually interested in children.
Ten years on the record, and what the certificate does not show
Spitz told DR that a mark on the børneattest lasts ten years and can block roles such as local football coach, applicant to the police academy, or substitute teacher during a gap year. The Danish police state on politi.dk that the børneattest covers sexual offences against under-15s and child pornography involving under-18s. Police also note there is no special conditional-sentence rule for under-18s on the børneattest, unlike the ordinary criminal-record certificate.
The law firm network Ret & Råd describes the registration period as at least ten years, and says employers assess each case individually. Red Barnet’s own SikkerLejr guidance notes that offences against 15 to 17-year-olds do not appear on the børneattest at all. DR’s article makes the same point: the rape of a 16-year-old is not registered there, because the victim is over 15.
Nicolaj Sivan Holst, professor of law at Aarhus University, told DR that only the legal provision is visible on the certificate, not the circumstances of the case. Employers cannot see whether an adult collected abuse material or a teenager shared one image of a peer. Hiring someone with a mark is not banned, but the professor considers it unlikely that anyone would take the risk.
The case and the figures behind the debate
DR reported on November 12, 2026 on an anonymized young man called Noah, who at 15 shared a manipulated image on Snapchat showing a penis placed over a peer’s face. He received 14 days of conditional prison and now carries the mark for ten years. Students at Syddjurs Gymnasium, among them Karla Bonde and Stefan Funch, told DR the punishment is excessive and an overreaction.
DR also reported, citing figures from Danmarks Statistik, that almost one in 200 Danish teenage boys has been convicted of a sexual offence by the age of 18. A 2026 summer thesis in criminology at Aalborg University found that teenagers are typically convicted for sharing a single intimate image of a peer. Signe Uldbjerg, subject inspector at the museum KØN, says consequences matter to victims, but considers the legislation wrongly designed for teenagers sharing images of peers.
What the børneattest means for international parents and sports volunteers
The børneattest is a separate certificate from the ordinary straffeattest, and companies and associations are obliged to obtain it when adults are in close contact with children. It is ordered through the police, and the employer or club must have the person’s consent. Red Barnet’s position is that the certificate is not up to date, and the organization wants it reviewed.
For internationals, this matters mainly in two situations. Parents of teenagers should know that sharing an intimate image of someone under 18 is treated as child pornography in Denmark, regardless of the sender’s age. Anyone applying for jobs in schools, daycare, or sports clubs should expect a børneattest check as part of hiring.
No change to the rules has been announced in DR’s reporting, which covers Red Barnet’s criticism and the reactions to it. Per Ret & Råd, whether a registered offence blocks a specific job is assessed case by case. What a Danish certificate shows about convictions obtained abroad is not addressed in the sources for this story.
