Norway lets eight agencies share data against honour violence

The Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion (Arbeids- og inkluderingsdepartementet) has adopted a new regulation that lets eight public bodies process and share confidential personal data in the fight against negative social control and honour-motivated violence. The regulation, issued on 19 August 2026, was published in Norsk Lovtidend on 20 August 2026 and implements the Act of 12 June 2026 no. 25 on special efforts against negative social control and honour-motivated violence.

The measure gives legal cover for the processing and exchange of sensitive information that would otherwise be blocked by statutory confidentiality duties, enabling a coordinated response across the welfare, health, education and police sectors.

Eight bodies authorised to process data

Under section 1 of the regulation, the following public bodies may process personal data where necessary to carry out the tasks set out in section 3 of the Act:

• Arbeids- og velferdsdirektoratet (Labour and Welfare Directorate)
• Barne-, ungdoms- og familiedirektoratet (Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs)
• Helsedirektoratet (Directorate of Health)
• Integrerings- og mangfoldsdirektoratet (Directorate of Integration and Diversity)
• Politidirektoratet (Police Directorate)
• Utdanningsdirektoratet (Directorate for Education and Training)
• Utenrikstjenesten (the Foreign Service)
• Utlendingsdirektoratet (Directorate of Immigration)

The same authorisation extends to subordinate bodies of these agencies where tasks under section 3 of the Act have been delegated to them.

Sharing beyond the confidentiality duty

Section 2 allows the eight bodies to share information with one another without being hindered by statutory confidentiality. They may also share data with a wider set of actors, including Arbeids- og velferdsetaten (the Labour and Welfare Administration), municipal health and care services, the child welfare service, crisis centres, family counselling offices, the municipality in the labour and welfare administration, specialist health services, the refugee service and Utlendingsnemnda (the Immigration Appeals Board).

Any such sharing must pass a proportionality assessment, weighing the purpose of the disclosure, the severity of the case and the consequences for the person concerned.

Sensitive data covered

Section 3 sets out the categories of information that may be processed, including name and address, gender, marital status, date and place of birth, national identification numbers, citizenship and country of origin, residence status, travel documents, employment and financial circumstances, benefits and allowances, disabilities, religious belief, gender identity and expression, family and close relationships, security measures implemented or recommended, and whether a child welfare case exists or is ongoing.

The regulation also permits the sharing of data on whether a person has been, may have been, or is at risk of being subjected to negative social control or honour-motivated violence, as well as special-category data under Articles 9 and 10 of the General Data Protection Regulation, including ethnic origin.

The new rules give frontline services a clear legal basis to act early and share information across agencies, which is expected to strengthen protection for vulnerable individuals at risk of honour-based violence and negative social control.

Source: Norsk Lovtidend, 20 August 2026, section I (official reference: LTI-2026-08-19-1644).