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One in ten Swedish teen girls 'forced' into sex

Published: 11 May 12 08:00 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/40764/20120511/

One in ten female high school students in Sweden has been forced to take part in some sort of sexual act, according to a new study from Linköping University. And in about half of the cases, the perpetrator was the same age as the victim.

“It is easier to talk about it if it’s not someone at school, if it is someone from outside. Then you can get support. But when it happens on your doorstep it becomes a question of who to believe,” said Carl Göran Svedin, professor of child-and–youth-psychiatry at the university, to Sveriges Television (SVT).

In the study, researchers asked 3,500 students in their final year of high school (gymnasium) in 2009 a series of questions regarding sexual relations at the behest of the Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs (Undomsstyrelsen), a government agency that works to ensure that young people have access to influence and welfare.

One in ten of the teenage girls stated that they had been forced to take part in penetrative sex; orally, vaginally or anally – against their will.

To prosecutor Ulrika Rogland the figures were nothing new. She told SVT that the abuse rarely gets reported, especially if they have occurred at a party with alcohol involved.

"Those that you approach might say ‘what, of course you wanted to. You went with him after all’," she told the broadcaster.

This often results in the victim feeling guilty and responsible and choosing not to report.

According to Svedin, there is a great risk of severe consequences for young people being subjected to sexual abuse.

“Some isolate themselves, move away from people, stop being social, while others do the opposite and almost feel a need to repeat what has happened and expose themselves to dangerous sex again. It almost becomes a compulsion,” he told SVT.

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12:15 May 11, 2012 by kenai
I WARN SWEDEN, a lot of criminals and desperate people from Romania and a lot of gipsy people will for sure enter in Sweden as EU members and steal and rape as much as they can, just like they are already doin in Italy, this is Important, Sweden must close the borders and send back all the immigrants from this nation, here in Italy it's impossible to live anymore, and in Sweden, where all poeple trust each other, and where all doors are open and all houses have no security at all, it gonna be even worse, this people will end the life as we know it.

ROMANIA OUT OF EU NOW!!!!
03:41 May 12, 2012 by TheWatchman
@kenai

As a lover of all people and things Italian, I am sorry that your great country is affected by such a thing. Is it possible that you are exaggerating however? As well, your demands will not change anything as from what I know, all the parties support immigration except the SD, and they are not very popular.
20:07 May 12, 2012 by Slards
As pointed out in this article sexual assault is often not reported for fear of not being believed. So why then, The Local, did you choose to add quote marks to the word "forced" in your headline?

Aren't you simply reinforcing the idea that women and girls are not trustworthy when making accusations of assault?
16:16 May 13, 2012 by old git
we don't have the origin of the girls or boys, so whats all this crap about immigrants? i would bet that this is more a typicaly swedish origin swedish problem especially when alcohol is involved.
05:36 May 21, 2012 by Khaliil
@ Kenai- How do you know that these rapes are committed by immigrants?
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