Four researchers from the Department of Clinical Sciences, Center for Primary Health Care Research at Lund University in Malmo, Sweden, conducted a study on Swedish rape conviction between 2000-2015. The study was published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences Research on February 22, 2021.
They looked at all convictions for rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape, or attempted aggravated rape against victims 18 or older. The study includes suspects 15 and older.
The researchers looked for common characteristics among those convicted. The most common characteristic was that a large majority, 59.6% were first or second-generation immigrants.
Of those convicted, 47.8% were foreign-born. The largest group was those born in North Africa and the Middle East, followed by sub-Saharan Africa. Another 5.8% were born in Sweden with two foreign-born parents, and 5.7% were born in Sweden with one foreign-born parent. Only 40.8% were Swedish-born offenders with Swedish-born parents.
The researchers note that the annual Swedish Crime Survey for 2019 found that roughly 5.6% of the total population of Sweden, ages 16 to 84, been a victim of sexual crimes. For women, this percentage is 9.4%, and for men, it is 1.4%. The researchers note that reported sexual attacks are increasing each year, while the cases resulting in a conviction have plummeted. In 2009, 31% of reported sexual attacks with a known suspect resulted in a conviction. In 2016, the rate had fallen to 11%. Most reported sexual attacks in Sweden do not result in anyone ever being convicted.
In 2018, Swedish Public Television’s Mission Investigate did their own study. They found that 58% of everyone convicted of rape or attempted rape between 2013 and 2018 was foreign-born. They also found that in cases where the victim and perpetrator were strangers, over 80% of those convicted were foreign-born, and about 40% had only been in Sweden for one year or less.
If foreign-born immigrants constituted 47.8% of those convicted from 2000 to 2015 and 58% from 2013 to 2018, this seems to be a strong confirmation that the situation is accelerating for the worse.
