03/04/2026
CSFES believes that transparency is essential when the welfare of foreign exchange students is called into question. The following English translation of Norwegian reporting details the experience of a former Council on Educational Travel, USA (CETUSA) and EF High School Year (EF) exchange student placed in the United States.
By Elisabeth Randsborg - The Aftenposten - See link below and English translation
An American Nightmare: Norwegian Exchange Students to the United States Risks Being Placed in Host Families Who Can Barely Take Care of Themselves.
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/Et-amerikansk-mareritt-6740983.html
English:
The first thing he remembers is the smell. The smell of dirt and debris. Of the dogs, which made from indoors. Of the cat, who rummaged around on the kitchen counter. The smell of a close toilet - shower curtain, which was rooted in the bath.
- I have never seen anything so dirty in my entire life.
Espen Hansen, now 20 years old, describes the first impression the day he came to his host family as an exchange student to USA in 2007. He is one of more than 1,300 Norwegian 16-year-olds who each year choose to take other high school year abroad. Espen was full of anticipation. He had prepared well in time before departure, but was not at all ready for what greeted him with a host family in the small town of Norwood Young America, Minnesota.
- The family had an exchange student before me, a girl from Brazil, and she sent me messages on Facebook and tried to warn me. When I arrived, I realized that I should have taken the warnings seriously. At first it went fine, and I tried to get used to the hygiene of the house. I am a person who does not complain much, so I tried to make the best out of it. But it turned out quickly that there was more than dirt and clutter that plagued this family.
They were a family of four. Mother and father, a daughter of 14 and a son at 12 The children had to pay for their parents' quarrels and marital problems, his father's aggression and abuse. They sought comfort and familiarity with Jack, and he felt sorry for the children.
So he told me not so much to her parents home in Norway. So he used the money - hundreds of dollars - to buy food and supplement their family's slunkne refrigerator. The host mother confided to him. Told about the family's difficult economy. In their desire to leave her husband. The man threatened to kill both her and her children if she tried.
- He was unstable and rash. He scolded and threatened, but he never struck me. He accused the host my mom to have a relationship with me, and when I was really scared and upset, and dared not live there anymore.
Now it was also Espens parents home in Norway know the difficulties. They contacted EF High School Year, the organization that sent Espen to the United States, that they might find a new host family for him, but nothing happened.
Coordinator
When exchange students arrive in the United States, it is often an American partner organization that assumes responsibility for the students. It is these American organizations that have recruited host families, and who has the responsibility to ensure that families are likely to have an exchange student living with him for a year. It is also the American organizations to appoint a local coordinator for each student - a coordinator, who will follow up the student and be of support and help if there is a problem. This person is the student government official while the U.S. stay.
- The exchange industry is a billion dollar industry - we are talking about big money - and it is an industry characterized by greed. The local coordinators are paid for each student they manage to place. Because of the economic downturn is the more students to the United States than the organizations are able to obtain good host families. Thus it happens that the local coordinators persuade friends and acquaintances - even pay them money, something they are not allowed to - for them to be host families for exchange students. When problems arise, these coordinators more concerned about protecting themselves and their friends and acquaintances than helping students. This industry lacks integrity, said Danielle Grijalva told Aftenposten.
She heads a voluntary organization - the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students (CSFES) - which works to help students who experience difficulties during their exchange in the United States. Danielle Grijalva himself worked in the exchange industry before she established CSFES in 2004.
- I saw many things I did not like. Students who were s*xually abused, taken pictures of, served alcohol and forced to watch p**n. This I would do something. Now we are 1700 people worldwide who are working for exchange students' safety and to enable the authorities both here in the U.S. and in the home countries aware of what's going on.
Only in the last year CSFES contacted by 10-12 Norwegian exchange students in the U.S. that need help.
House arrest
The situation at home Espen Hansen's host family escalated, and he was allowed to stay with a teacher at the school where he went. - The two best weeks of the U.S.-stay.
But then his local coordinator up - a person he had not seen much of before.
- She asked me to join her, to her home and her husband. They kept me under house arrest in a room in the basement for two days. Examined me, took my phone, removed the pictures on my camera, went through all my stuff. I had tucked my Norwegian mobile, so I had called home and told what happened, the mother of an American friend of mine contacted the police, and they appeared. After talking with my coordinator, left the police house and said, "Sorry, You're On Your Own". When I was really scared.
Espen's mother had meanwhile come up with Danielle Grijalva and her organization CSFES online. She could tell that there had been several episodes of this coordinator the past, and that it was registered 72 reporting matters to the host family Espen was placed with. Again the police were contacted, and this time they took Espen, drove him to a secret location and included him in their special witness protection program. Also the local child welfare services were enabled.
After three days, drew both child welfare and police back. There was nothing more they could do. Espen was igjene left to the coordinator's authority person.
The coordinator came up with new threats and would force Espen on a plane back to Norway, and again was Espen taken care of by the police and incorporated into their witness protection program.
- I was so run down that I just wanted to go home to Norway.
As to play Lotto
In March 2008 - eight months after he went to the United States - came a mentally broken Espen back to their home country. He suffered from deep depression and social anxiety. Was withdrawn and kept to themselves. His parents wanted to sue the EF High School Year, but dropped it in the interests of Espen's health. He has been helped by a psychologist, and now - four years later - he is on his legs again and started a new education.
- I know that many people have good experiences as exchange students. But to join the exchange is like playing Lotto - you can be either very lucky or very unlucky, but you never know what you expose yourself to. It is a very poor cooperation between the Norwegian organizations and U.S. partners at the other end. There is no control, everything is all about money. In the event of problems, so they send you the only home, and there is too little control of the host families. Why pick out families who can not take care of themselves once, much less an exchange student?
One of hundreds of reviewed
The British, now retired police officer Chris Gould knows a lot about the host families who are not good enough. For many years he headed the Child Protection Unit of the police in Avon and Somerset, and in 1998 he investigated a 12-year-old Spanish exchange student who was s*xually abused by her Host father, who turned out to be a known s*x offender in the UK. Since then he has worked for the exchange students' well-being and is now interested in the organization Child-Safe International.
- During the 12 months I investigated 2000 cases where the exchange students had been exposed to abuse, s*xual, neglect and abuse. Only 20 cases - only one percent - had been reviewed, so there is a high degree of underreporting in these cases. This is an industry driven by big money, and many of the organizations should be closed. There are pedophiles who actively cooperate with either of them. The authorities know little about what is going on, and when I talk to them, it seems they are not particularly interested. They stick their heads in the sand and can not accept this. But voters should be concerned that politicians show so little interest, said Gould told Aftenposten.
Many stories
Espen Hansen is not the sole Norwegian students who have had negative experiences in the United States. A quick search online and shotguns with stories. One of them belongs to Mari Cecilie Berland. Also she went out like 16-year-old with EF High School Year in 2007, to live with what she thought would be a family with four children. But the dilapidated house in Nebraska house four additional dogs, another exchange student, two foster children, a friend of Host mother and her son. Furthermore, the childminders Host mother for up to ten children under three years.
- We were at any time between 12 and 20 people in the house. It was like living in an orphanage, says Mari Cecilie.
She had to share a bathroom with seven others and was awarded time at 5 in the morning. There was bad food, they had to eat and study sitting on the floor. She wept, prayed for help, but felt neglected and got a lot up. Asked to replace family, but without result. Again, it appeared that the coordinator was a close friend of the host family. As a psychologist gave Cecilia Mari diagnosis of deep depression and suggested anti-depressants and sleeping pills, decided she and her parents that it was time to return to Norway.
- The worst thing was that the EC did not take any responsibility or followed me up. They advertise that they take responsibility 24 hours a day - that's why I chose them. But when something happens, they are not there. When you are 16 years and find yourself alone on the other side of the world and other people have authority over you, when you feel not very high in the hat. I will not warn others of an exchange in the U.S., but I would warn against the EC. One should be very careful when choosing which organization you are traveling with.
She has blogged about their U.S. experiences, and she has received many reactions from others who have bad experiences. Her father, Arild Berland, formed a Facebook group for others who also had negative experiences with the EC.
- Many have contacted us, and the problems are particularly associated with host families and the difficulty to exchange family. There are too many people have negative experiences, and the worst thing is that we have no excuse once. EC sorry I saw it that way, but they do not apologize for what happened, says Mari Cecilie.
Settlement
Many of the students who have negative experiences, try to get compensation and redress when they come home. Would Electricity is one of them. She went to the United States in August 2009. After barely four days with his host family in Michigan were the police called and Vilde was rescued from a distant American relative. It was four days of threats, bickering, neglect and noise. An unemployed Host father and poor economy in a socially disadvantaged family. A coordinator, which proved to be a close friend of the family, and who threatened to kidnap her. And a mentally ill son in the house, which itself Host mother warned her against.
"I do not think he will try his hand at something s*xual, but take good care of your valuables," said the host mother Would.
Parents in Norway mobilized. Contacted organization Vilde had gone out with, without result. Contacted the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, CSFES and a distant relative in Chicago, with the result, and after a lot of hassle but came Vilde back to Norway.
- In the beginning, I had nightmares often - I was afraid they would track me. Even now I get shock every time I go away, for I am afraid I will not be coming home again. I feel like a 50-year-old and is afraid to die, says 19 year old Vilde.
She has received professional help to cope with anxiety, and this summer she will resume training.
Victoria 's parents entered into a settlement with the organization that had sent her to the United States. For a compensation of nearly NOK 40 000 committed Victoria and her parents not to mention the episode and name the organization.
Must be on the path
- But I will appeal to Norwegian politicians to wake up and see what's going on. They need to create a body and put in place laws to regulate this, and they must ensure that the American partner organizations will be thoroughly checked. There are a lot of evasion of host families.
- I would strongly encourage anyone who wants to go out, to consider carefully what organization they are traveling. And parents should ally itself with some of the host country can be a guardian for the child while it is out. One is 16 years and feel grown up and ready for this, but the U.S. is really far away when you're alone.
CSFES and Danielle Grijalva like poor families that included a settlement with the organizations.
- It contributes only to sweep this problem under the carpet, you sell in a way his soul to the devil by being quiet about what their children are exposed to. We need to focus on what I would describe as a clear pattern of exploitation. Students are left to the organizations and the host family's discretion from the day they arrive in the United States, said Grijalva.
Reject the EC's worst
EF High School Year is the biggest player in the Norwegian market and sends hundreds of students to the United States each year. Exactly how many, they will not disclose. Country coordinator of the EC in Norway, Morten Davidsen, refutes that the organization is no worst.
- Our slogan is to give students "the best time of your life", that is what we strive for every day. A study abroad offers many first time experiences for students. Some can handle it easily, others may have it tougher. Most people are happy, but sometimes we have some cases where there are challenges, says Davidsen.
- What kind of problems?
- I will not comment on specific cases, but those cases where there have been difficulties, are cases that have involved our partner organizations in the United States. We have heard that there may have been local representatives who have been too closely associated with host families, and there may be a lack of procedures for how to follow up the students and host families. Therefore, we decided that as of this year, cutting out the cooperation with our partner organizations in the United States and will account for the process itself. The EC is all the way, and then it becomes easier for us to follow up if problems arise.
Norske utvekslingsstudenter til USA risikerer å bli plassert i vertsfamilier som knapt kan ta vare på seg selv.
