• Sweden edition
Education

Sweden struggles to come to grips with high school hazing

Published: 19 Sep 11 14:11 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/36232/20110919/

Reports of young Swedish teens being subjected to humiliating, sometimes sex-themed games, have once again put the subject of high school hazing back into the spotlight in Sweden, The Local's Joel Linde explains.

First year high school students at Gångsätra high school on Lidingö near Stockholm were recently made to participate in a "beauty pageant" in which older students stood by, pen and paper in hand, to grade each new high schooler's appearance.

“It's terrible. I’m pissed. This is a group of older students performing this rubbish,” principal Christer Ullner tells The Local.

“Somewhere the devil must have possessed them, I don’t know where.”

The incident at Gångsätra comes just days after a hazing session at Polhem high school in Gothenburg spiraled out of control, prompting calls from angry parents and a crisis meeting among school officials.

During the incident, students were forced to lie on the ground in the pouring rain and had various liquids poured over them. The entire time, the first year students were told to say they were ugly before being forced to enter the school, soaked from head to toe.

The two incidents have once again put the practice of hazing into the headlines in Sweden, prompting renewed debate about what to do about the practice.

While the recent incidents didn't result in any physical harm, hazing incidents in years past have had much more serious consequences.

Last year, two boys were beaten with clubs at a hazing party in Borås in western Sweden. And in 2007, a 16-year-old Stockholm girl was taken to hospital with alcohol poisoning.

And in 2006, a 15-year-old boy was found naked and unconscious with Nazi symbols covering his body in a wooded area near Stockholm following a hazing incident.

On one Swedish web forum discussing high school hazing, students tell of having eggs broken on their heads for not crawling on all fours.

“It was the worst thing I’ve ever done, so damn humiliating,” writes one student on ungdomer.se.

Jonathan, 20, described the also “clothes line”, where two teams compete to create the longest line using only the clothes off their bodies.

“It might not be super fun if you’re not that comfortable with taking your clothes off in front of your new classmates. But if you don’t, your team will lose,” Jonathan explains on the forum.

Susanne Olsson, principal at Polhem high school, downplays the seriousness of the incident at her school, where hazing is allowed by school officials.

As a condition, however, students report back to the school what their plans are.

Nevertheless, sometimes things get out of hand, she admits.

“I think that to a certain degree they look to the traditional way of hazing, where it was more about power and and breaking down the new students,” she says.

“It’s not the first time something happened, but I’ve never received calls about this before.”

Olsson explained that Polhem inherited its hazing tradition from a nearby university.

“Hazing has been a tradition here for many years,” she says.

“Since we are a technical high school, we adopted it from the Chalmers Institute for Technology.”

But hazing is meant to have a completely different purpose than simply making unsuspecting teens feel worthless, says Anders Cardfelt, a member of the hazing committee at Chalmers' department of chemical technology.

“It’s about welcoming new students, both to the school and to the corps, and helping them to a life where they can study and also have a social life outside of school,” Cardfelt explains.

The common Swedish term for hazing, nollning, originated as a way to describe the right of passage that new students, zeros (nollor), must go through before they can be socially accepted as having entered their first year of high school studies, at which point they become “ones” (ettor).

Each autumn, cities are sprawling with new “zeros” in bright jumpsuits or other startling attire, who are making their way into a new community by performing tasks of sometimes embarrassing nature.

“It includes barbecues, excursions, study evenings, sittings (a classy form of dinner with starter, main course and dessert)...a bunch of fun activities,” Cardfelt says.

“I was hazed myself last year and now I’m responsible for hazing others. It’s been great both times, it’s very rewarding and you connect with people. It’s structured in a way so that people can try many different activities, and nothing is obligatory.”

But a tradition meant to facilitate bonding among university students has since migrated down to high schools and being practiced among students who are often less mature and more vulnerable than their university counterparts.

And while Sweden lacks any overarching guidelines for regulating hazing, that doesn't mean that administrators are free to turn a blind eye to reports of student suffering.

“No one can absolve themselves of responsibility and say they didn’t know about it,” Elin Brunell, a lawyer at the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), explains.

While refusing to comment on any specific case, Brunell says that all school employees are obliged to report and take action if they hear about any form of violation associated with hazing.

“If there are situations that students might see as violating the school has to act. Either they ban the activity, or they have enough control to know that no violations occur,” she explains.

At many high schools across Sweden hazing has been banned altogether, like at a school in Linköping in central Sweden where last year students were threatened via blogs and encouraged to engage in sex games.

While officials at Polhem high school are discussing the future of the controversial tradition, Gångsätra principal Ullner, where hazing is already banned, frets about what can be done to stop such incidents from occurring year after year.

“We have too little insight," he says.

“Much of this we don’t even hear about since it happens outside of school grounds.”

Reflecting on the incident with the 15-year-old boy who was found unconscious and naked, Ullner admits the Gångsätra “beauty pageant” isn't nearly as serious, which makes the question of what measures to take less clear cut.

“If those offenders would have been found, who did that to that boy, it would have been easy to expel them,” he says.

“But can we really expel students for holding up paper sheets with numbers?”

External link: Female students are 'main victims of hazing' »

Joel Linde (news@thelocal.se)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

15:24 September 19, 2011 by Coolbreeze
Any comments by the usual suspects should make interesting reading.

So, tell me, how are you going to blame foreigners for what has happened here?
16:26 September 19, 2011 by 15U
My friend, a teacher in Swedish school, told me several times about huge hazing problem in schools. The roots of the problem is total freedom given for pupils, they can do everything, a teacher has no any athority or right to manage them.
18:05 September 19, 2011 by summo
what's the drama, it's a one off, Britsh teens do this 2 or 3 days week and don't grown out of it until they are in their 30s, with teen pregnancies and stds along the way!!!
19:35 September 19, 2011 by Opinionfool
While there is some behaviour like this is in British schools we call it by its proper name: bullying. Public (that is private) schools have centuries of tradition with older pupils forcing younger ones to participate. However, the real impetus behind the increase is surely the influx of US films and TV programs dramatising (and implicitly legitimising) initiation into fraternities and sororities with such games.
00:05 September 20, 2011 by dizzymoe33
Just another way to bully people because parents are afraid to teach their children to respect other people. So stupid is this hazing ritual. It needs to be put to a stop before more damage is caused. And not only does it cause harm to one's self but it also causes damages to ones self-worth, self-esteem and the ability to act properly in a normal social setting.
00:37 September 20, 2011 by Crispy Crunch
Hazing? I've never heard the word before. Is this an American English term?

It' s not used in the UK and will be meaningless to a large number of your readers.

It's called either bullying or humiliating initiation ceremonies.
03:25 September 20, 2011 by DavidtheNorseman
@Crispy - while I've heard the term mostly in an American context, the Guardian uses it.. eg: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/28/military.immigrationpolicy

It's always been an abusive silliness and the answer is for the bullies to realize there will be dire consequences (fragging in the military but that's a wee bit too serious perhaps for high school children...we simply carried weapons in the day with the understanding they'd be used if anyone attempted anything and all was peaceful :-) )
09:25 September 20, 2011 by Pont-y-garreg
I thought it was an American term too. Can't say I've ever heard it used here in the UK.
10:31 September 20, 2011 by zooeden
"Somewhere the devil must have possessed them" well, if that´s what it is then there is nothing more to do then...
11:37 September 20, 2011 by DavidtheNorseman
As I recall one solution at the University level was to make participation voluntary. Got rid of the thrill the bullying types had of forcing their attentions on the vulnerable and turned things into more of a party...
15:08 September 23, 2011 by tetrahedron
Much of this sounds to me like harmless fun although I think that the more serious cases should be investigated..

However, when I was a teenager, I would love to have been naked in front of all the other kids in the class, also naked. That could also help people overcome fears in later life.
19:47 September 23, 2011 by SuperTulle
I'd just like to note that this article describes the worst incidents, and that they are of course, a minority among the initiation ceremonies.

Most gymnasiums (high schools) have no real initiation, just the principal and leader of the student council greeting them and wishing them a happy stay.

Most universities have more elaborate initiations, but most of the time they just involve cooperation exercises and funny costumes. For example, a class from my local university dressed up as the poster boy from a popular caviar brand, and did a centipede race.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Unrest in Stockholm
Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots

Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots

Seven people were arrested on Tuesday following the Husby riots in northern Stockholm, with Sweden's Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt warning that the unrest may continue. READ () »

Stockholm Internet Forum
'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'

'The future of freedom on the internet is at stake'

Internet policy experts gather in Stockholm this week to grapple with online data protection and surveillance issues that everyone who surfs the web should care about, reports technologist Stefan Geens. READ () »

'Swedishness must be split from being white'

'Swedishness must be split from being white'

Sweden needs a new story better equipped to deal with and include today's demographic diversity and create a new Swedishness that is separate from whiteness, write representatives from the Multicultural Centre in Botkyrka near Stockholm. READ () »

Body parts found in missing woman search

Body parts found in missing woman search

Human remains were found in a military building in northern Sweden on Monday night during the search for a 20-year-old woman who has been missing for two weeks. READ () »

My Swedish Career
The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm

The 'absolute truth' about tacos in Stockholm

Unable to find good Mexican food after moving to Stockholm to study in 2008, Monterrey native David Licona now finds himself running La Neta, one of the most popular Mexican eateries in the Swedish capital. The Local finds out more. READ () »

Gothenburg Instragram riots
Defamation charges for Instagram 'slut-shaming'

Defamation charges for Instagram 'slut-shaming'

Two Swedish teenage girls were officially charged with defamation on Tuesday for their involvement in the "slut-shaming" Instagram account that saw enraged teens in Gothenburg lay siege to two high schools last year. READ () »

Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map

Topless woman to be lifted from Swedish map

After a caricature of a topless woman on a tourist map in western Sweden left some residents seething, a local official has promised to have the offending image removed. READ () »

More Education

 

Find a new job in Sweden now
21/05 .Net Software Architects
Volvo Information Technology AB
Göteborg, VTG
21/05 Application consultant
Capgemini Sverige AB
St5ockholm, STHM
21/05 Är du vår kunds nästa tekniska
Framtiden
Linköping
21/05 Area Manager, Endovascular(EVAR):- Scandinavia
Sverige
21/05 Betting Connections Recruitment
Betting Connections
Sweden
21/05 Business Analyst or Requirement Specialist
Capgemini Sverige AB
Stockholm, STHM

ALL JOBS »


 

 

Highlights
Scanpix
SPORT »
Sweden win ice hockey world champs at home
Scanpix
SPORT »
Swedes sweep top French football awards
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: Check out this funky three-room apartment on the Stockholm island of Södermalm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Sweden win Ice Hockey World Championships. See the celebrations in Stockholm
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Youths burn 100 cars in north Stockholm riots
Finest.se scanpix.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Nightlife, Ice Hockey Gold celebrations, the royal family... You name it, this week's gallery has it
WikiCommons
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Solna voted best place to live in Sweden
Scanpix
TRAVEL »
Quiz - Think You Know Sweden? This week we head to one of Sweden's ten biggest towns. But which one?
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision host: 'Not everyone has to like me'
Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Denmark wins Eurovision 2013 in Malmö
Paul Hansen/World Press Photo
SOCIETY »
Award-winning Swedish photographer cleared of manipulation
DoToday
LIFESTYLE »
What's On:The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
A Congolese-Swedish pastor explains the roots to recent cases of parents exorcising demons from their children in Sweden
File photo: AP
NATIONAL »
H&M backs Bangladesh building safety accord
Scanpix
GALLERY »
Eurovision: second semi-final entries
Finest.se
GALLERY »
People-watching: Scenes from the Arctic Council meeting, Eurovision demonstrations, and Stockholm nightlife
Screenshot: American Apparel
SOCIETY »
Swedes slam American Apparel over 'sexist' ads
Hasse Holmberg/Scanpix (File)
BUSINESS & MONEY »
Housing crunch forces more young Swedes to live with mum and dad
Janerik Henriksson/Scanpix
LIFESTYLE »
Eurovision - Centre State: 'It won't be easy to win again': Robin Stjernberg
Asif Akbar/sxc.hu (File)
OPINION »
'Not all discrimination in Sweden is racism'
Lana Wimmer
GALLERY »
Hidden Stockholm Gems: Ulriksdal's Palace
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
SOCIETY »
Sex in Sweden: condoms optional - study
AP (File)
POLITICS »
Russia 'lacks capacity' to attack Sweden: Reinfeldt
fastighetsbyrån.se
GALLERY »
Property of the Week: This week, we're looking inside a home from the 1700s just west of Stockholm. Complete with two cannons.
Scanpix (File)
OPINION »
JobTalk: Top ten tips for earning a higher salary in Sweden
Juanma Perez Rabasco
SOCIETY »
Swedish kids start daycare earlier: report
Facebook
SOCIETY »
'Sex scandal' minister bathes in viral toilet puppy love
Scanpix
NATIONAL »
Illegal apartment rentals thrive in Stockholm flat crunch
Ben Grey/Flickr
SCIENCE & TECH »
Sweden 'second best' place to become a mum
Eddie Gee
LIFESTYLE »
Check out the back catalogue of all The Local's Swedes of the Week
Photo: The Local
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Stockholm International School - what’s in IT for students?
Dixie Thomas Hughes
SPONSORED ARTICLE
US expat David V. Hughes on determination and discovery by design

 

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »


Blog Update: Stripes News

21 May 21:34

WEEK 21 »

"A week full to the brim with LFC football…. Div 5 LFC match against Nåjdens FK has been moved. This is due to the Svenska Cupen final: 26 May, 17.00 kick off, Nationalarenan Friends Arena, Solna. Next match is on Tuesday (see below). ………………………………………………………… Friday: Div5 Ladies: Rotebro IS FF – Långholmen FC (Skinnaråsens IP) KO: 16.15 ………………………………………………………… Saturday: Vets: Långholmen FC – IFK..." READ »

The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Trade binary options
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Therapy in English
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Holiday Luxury Villa in Portugal
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com