Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Honor and relationship violence among young Swedes on the rise

Published 25 January 2024
– By Editorial Staff
The prevalence of relationship violence among young people is of concern to the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.
3 minute read

One in three 15-year-olds in Sweden has experienced some form of violence in a relationship, according to a new report from the Public Children’s Home (Allmäna Barnhuset) and the Swedish Gender Equality Agency (Jämställdshetsmyndigheten). The study also provides insights into honor-related violence and oppression, where girls with virginity requirements were the most vulnerable group to violence from adults.

The Violence against children study, conducted in 2022, included 5820 ninth-grade students who responded to an online survey.

Among these students, 2711 reported being in a relationship or dating someone in the past, and these young people were asked additional questions about violence in relationships. They found that 31% of the teens had experienced some form of relationship or dating violence. The most common form was digital psychological violence, followed by physical violence. In addition, one in ten young people had experienced sexual violence and eight percent had experienced physical violence. Girls were generally more at risk than boys.

– We are obviously concerned about these figures and had hoped that violence in young people’s relationships would not be so widespread. We know from our previous surveys that the numbers are high when it comes to adult violence, but this is the first time we have looked in depth at the situation in young people’s relationships, says Cecilia Sjölander, Secretary General of the Swedish National Children’s Foundation, in a press release.

Violence in relationships was also more common among those who had some form of neuropsychiatric disability, lived with parents who had substance abuse problems or mental illness, or had been subjected to violence by their parents. In addition, it was slightly more common for young people born in the Nordic countries to be exposed to violence in relationships than for those born abroad.

Honour-related violence

A significant proportion of young people experience honour-related violence. About 19 percent of the participants have so-called virginity requirements from home, where they are expected to wait with sex until marriage. Almost half of girls with at least one foreign-born parent experienced virginity requirements, compared with five percent of girls with Nordic-born parents. Among boys with foreign-born parents, one-third reported having virginity requirements.

Young people with virginity requirements were more likely than other young people to report exposure to all forms of adult violence, except sexual violence. Exposure to severe forms of violence was more than twice as common among young people with virginity requirements than among others. About 13% of those who had been exposed to physical violence and had virginity demands were afraid of being seriously injured by the violence. Seven percent feared being killed.

In terms of relationships, those with a virginity requirement were as vulnerable to violence as those without. However, the proportion of young people who experienced at least three types of violence at the same time was higher among those with a virginity requirement (20%) than among those without (15%). This difference, however, only applies to girls.

Expectations of circumcision

In addition, 14% of boys experienced family expectations to be circumcised. Among girls, 6% experienced demands to be cut. Overall, 1.8% of students reported having been mutilated or circumcised.

FGM, which involves cutting or damaging parts of a girl’s external genitalia, is a characteristic expression of honor-related violence, according to the study. However, non-medical circumcision of boys is not considered honor-related violence and is legal in Sweden. However the Committee on ethics and the rights of the child of the Swedish Pediatric Association Svenska Barnläkarföreningen has argued that it is not medically or ethically justifiable to perform such procedures on healthy children and that it should be abolished in accordance with the Convention on the rights of the child.

– With this knowledge, we can better design prevention efforts. Violence in young people’s relationships and honor-related violence and oppression cause suffering for the victims and very high costs for society, says Mikael Thörn, Head of Unit at the Swedish Gender Equality Agency.

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Save the Children: One in eight children in Sweden lives in poverty

Welfare collapse

Published today 13:26
– By Editorial Staff
Single parents face particular difficulties making ends meet, the report shows.
2 minute read

One in eight children in Sweden currently lives in poverty, and the number is increasing in line with rising living costs, according to a new report from Save the Children Sweden.

According to recent figures from the children’s rights organization Save the Children, approximately 276,000 children in Sweden live in poverty, representing nearly 13 percent of all children in the country. This is revealed in the report “Child Poverty in Sweden 2025” which was presented during the week.

The report is based on new metrics from the Swedish Consumer Agency’s calculations of families’ basic needs and includes the number of children in households receiving social assistance. The aim is to better reflect the reality for children in economically vulnerable households.

— The development has made it difficult for families with children who already lacked or had small margins to make ends meet. Save the Children has noticed increased vulnerability among families with children we meet in our operations, says the organization’s Secretary General Åsa Regnér in a press release.

Stock image. Photo: Pixabay

Rising living costs and declining real wages

Save the Children highlights several factors in the report that explain the increasing economic vulnerability among families with children. Among the primary causes are sharply rising living costs, particularly for food and housing, as well as unemployment and declining real wages.

Additionally, the report reveals clear differences between various groups in society. Children living with single parents or in households with foreign-born parents face a significantly higher risk of experiencing poverty.

The organization calls for several national reforms to reverse the trend. Among the proposals are previously suggested increases to child and housing benefits, as well as social assistance that is indexed to actual costs rather than just referring to general levels.

Social assistance must cover food, rent and children’s basic needs, and therefore it needs to be adapted to economic changes and the real costs of families with children, argues Åsa Regnér.

Save the Children's measurement method for child poverty

Save the Children Sweden has updated its method for measuring child poverty. The new measure takes into account the Swedish Consumer Agency's calculations of basic needs and the number of children in families receiving social assistance. Between 2019 and 2022, poverty decreased according to both measures, but during 2023, the new measure shows an increase.

Source: Save the Children Sweden

Swedish Liberals propose €200,000 for Pride crosswalks

The LGBT lobby

Published yesterday 13:32
– By Editorial Staff
LGBTQ+ issues are close to Jan Jönsson's heart, and to the general public he is perhaps best known for his habit of dressing up as a drag queen.
2 minute read

With less than a year until the election and polling around two percent voter support, the Liberal Party in Stockholm is proposing that the city paint more crosswalks in rainbow colors to show support for the LGBTQ movement.

Taxpayers are expected to cover the total cost of approximately €200,000.

Currently, there is only one rainbow-colored crosswalk in the Swedish capital, located outside Stockholm City Hall. According to the Liberals’ budget proposal, this number should be significantly increased through the project “Proud streets in rainbow colors”.

Opposition city councilor Jan Jönsson (L), who is driving the proposal, argues that the initiative would clearly signal that Stockholm is a city that stands for “love, openness and inclusion”, reports Samnytt.

The proposal comes as the Liberal Party faces the threat of being voted out of the Riksdag. With polling around two percent – far below the four percent threshold required for parliamentary representation – the party is now seeking attention through symbolic policy proposals ahead of next year’s elections.

Drag queens – a cause close to the heart

Jan Jönsson has previously attracted attention for a series of attention-seeking initiatives in recent years. He has called himself “the gangs’ worst enemy” in a campaign about gang crime, although his proposals in practice mainly involved sitting down and having serious conversations with criminal youth.

He has also advocated for men dressed as drag queens to be allowed to read stories to children at libraries. According to Jönsson, it is of utmost importance to protect drag queens’ rights, and he considers it an “art form” that must be defended.

— We want to defend drag queens and everyone else’s right to express themselves. No one should have to hesitate to exercise their right to freedom of expression out of fear of reprisals of any kind, he declared in connection with putting on makeup himself, dressing in women’s clothing and organizing his own drag queen story time in support of the group in question.

— It’s about how people try to restrict people’s right to express themselves and be who they want to be. Especially this art form. This applies to Sweden and not least other countries where increasingly cold winds are blowing, Jönsson warned, claiming that many European countries are moving in an “LGBTQ-hostile direction”.

Sharp increase in children suspected of murder plots in Sweden

organized crime

Published 20 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In 2022, 14 children under the age of 15 were suspected of involvement in murder plots. This year, that number has risen to 127.
3 minute read

The number of minors suspected of planning murders has skyrocketed in a short time, according to new figures from the Swedish Prosecution Authority. More than 120 children under 15 are currently under investigation for planning deadly violence.

At the same time, the Swedish government reports that the fight against gang crime shows some progress – but the development raises concerns.

The government’s initiative against gangs has been a central part of the Tidö Agreement between the governing parties and the Sweden Democrats. Three years after the cooperation began, several sentences have been toughened, the justice system has received increased resources, and police have gained access to new tools.

Despite this, it remains unclear whether organized crime is actually decreasing. However, one clearly positive trend is that the number of shootings has decreased sharply in recent years.

According to police statistics, 314 shootings occurred through September 2022. During the same period this year, the number has dropped to 113. The number of fatal shootings has decreased from 49 to 26 during the corresponding period – excluding the ten people killed in the attack at Risbergska School in Örebro, central Sweden.

Police assess that more violent crimes are being stopped in time thanks to expanded possibilities for secret surveillance and other intelligence methods. More murder investigations are also being solved, according to the authority.

Bombings and arson increase

At the same time, the trend points in the opposite direction regarding bombings and arson attacks. These have increased but rarely lead to fatalities. Recently, many of the bombings have been carried out with powerful pyrotechnics instead of military explosives.

Police also see successes on the international front. So far this year, 183 gang-connected individuals have been arrested abroad – a record figure – of which 35 are classified as so-called priority actors. Despite this, the total circle of gang criminals is not assessed to be decreasing.

According to police’s latest situation report from autumn 2024, around 14,000 people are actively involved in the gang environment and an additional 48,000 have connections to it. When the next report is presented in November, the numbers are expected to rise.

Directing crime from abroad

Police also estimate that approximately 700 gang criminals now operate from abroad – an increase of 100 people since previous calculations.

The most concerning trend, however, involves children and young people. In 2022, 14 children under 15 were suspected of involvement in murder plots. This year, the figure has risen to 127, according to new data from the Swedish Prosecution Authority.

The suspicions mainly concern attempted murder, preparation, conspiracy and aiding and abetting murder, but also nine completed murders and a couple of cases of incitement.

Sprängdåd Uppsala september 2023
Bombings are increasing alarmingly in Sweden (archive image Uppsala, Sep. 2023). Photo: Facsimile/Aftonbladet Play/YT

Children recruiting children

According to the Swedish Ministry of Justice, children are often recruited via social media, where gang criminals post orders for violent acts. A growing trend is also that children themselves recruit other children. Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (Moderate Party) believes that crime has not worsened, but that it has changed character.

Criminologist Manne Gerell assesses that the development is largely moving in the right direction: – The best indicator for me is how many people die or are seriously injured, and there we have seen a massive decrease in shootings.

Gerell believes the decrease is mainly due to increased resources for police rather than individual reforms in the Tidö Agreement: – Everything else is small puzzle pieces that individually could hardly have played any role, he says.

Among the measures that have had the least effect, he mentions the visitation zones, which have been used less than expected and have not produced any clear results.

Police simultaneously warn that the level of violence within gangs remains high and that new spirals of violence may arise: – One concern is that hundreds of children and young people who were taken for involvement in these crimes a few years ago will, to a large extent, be back on the streets soon if they aren’t already, says Manne Gerell.

The Tidö Agreement and the fight against gang violence – what's coming in 2025/26

  • Legislative proposal on expanded criminal liability for attempted, preparatory, and conspiracy to commit crimes
  • Legislative proposal on new indeterminate prison sentence, security sentence
  • Legislative proposal allowing police to use AI for real-time facial recognition with cameras
  • Legislative proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years for serious crimes
  • Legislative proposal to completely abolish sentence reductions for young people between 18 and 21 years
  • Legislative proposal on reduced sentence reductions for young people aged 15–17 years
  • Stricter rules for conditional release enter into force on January 1
  • Investigation proposal on allowing police to use entrapment
  • Legislative proposal on being able to deport foreign nationals with gang connections
  • Investigation proposal on reversed burden of proof in asset forfeiture cases
  • Investigation on new possibilities for police to intervene in the cyber environment


Examples of legislative proposals from the criminal law review

  • multiple offenses to be assessed more severely
  • sentencing scales for approximately fifty crimes to be tightened
  • less consideration given to mitigating circumstances
  • up to double sentences for crimes linked to gang criminality

Source: Ministry of Justice (Sweden)

Saab secures €50 million NATO contract for Spanish radar system

Published 20 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Arthur is a radar system that locates artillery and provides warning of incoming fire.
2 minute read

Swedish defense company Saab has secured a contract worth almost €50 million from NATO’s procurement organization NSPA to extend the lifespan of Arthur radar systems for the Spanish army.

This marks the first time Saab’s radar systems have been procured through NATO’s purchasing organization.

The contract involves enabling the Spanish army’s artillery locating force to maintain its operational capabilities through modern technology.

The life extension of the systems will provide higher operational mobility and more accurate fire control. The upgrade means more targets can be located at longer distances. The system will also have a smaller signature against electronic warfare sensors, which increases protection for personnel and equipment.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business area, comments on the order:

— We are pleased to continue strengthening Spain’s artillery locating capability, which is crucial for warning against hostile artillery as well as directing our own artillery fire. The order is also the first for our radar systems to go through NATO’s procurement organization, which is an important step for us, he says.

Largest in the Nordic region

Saab is by far the largest defense company in the Nordic region with approximately 25,000 employees and manufacturing operations in the United States, Germany, and Brazil, among other countries. In 2023, the company ranked as the world’s 35th largest arms manufacturer.

In addition to its well-known fighter jets, Saab also produces and maintains military command and control systems.

The largest shareholder is the Wallenberg sphere, which through the investment company Investor controls around 30 percent of the capital and 40 percent of the votes. Marcus Wallenberg has been chairman of the board since 2006.

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