Sweden's Gang Crime Recruits Children – Is It Time for the EU to Reevaluate Asylum Policies?

Members of the "Nattvandrarna" association in Sweden have told Sweden's TV4 that, with the increase in gang-related crime among children and young people, even eight-year-old children have been recruited for shady activities. And 12-year-old children wear bulletproof vests, saying that "it's much easier to be shot in the head because then you die instantly."

The recruitment of children happens in such a way that older gang members make contact with them and try to be friendly, for example, by offering them treats. Once the connection is established, the children are given simple tasks, such as whistling if the police or another perceived threat to the criminals approaches. This way, for example, drug dealers can disappear from the scene and avoid getting caught.

Naturally, those working with the Nattvandrarna association are concerned about the situation and have tried to draw politicians' attention to it, for example by inviting them to join them on the streets. However, the success has been minimal, with decision-makers at best merely writing worried statements.

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Sweden's southern neighbor, Denmark, has tightened border controls at their shared border because Swedish gang crime has also spilled over there. The country's Deputy Chief of Police has reported that Swedish youths have been lured across the border to commit murders.

According to him, one can earn 100,000 crowns for killing someone in Denmark. However, according to Denmark's TV2, the amount is somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 Swedish crowns, which is equivalent to tens of thousands of euros. It’s a cheap price for a human life, but an enormous amount of money for a child from an immigrant family that has failed to integrate.

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All of this is public knowledge. Despite this, people who have proven to be poorly integrated are still allowed to seek asylum in Western countries. For example, in Finland, the principle is still followed that asylum is granted unless the authorities can prove that the application is based on false grounds. In other words, the asylum seeker does not have to prove that they are under threat in their home country; it is enough to credibly claim that this is the case.

Such a practice is pure foolishness and leads to difficulties like those that have occurred in Sweden. This is evidenced by the fact that in the Swedish-speaking Åland Islands, which are part of Finland, there has been a continuous influx of Swedes in recent years.

As a result, the proportion of residents born in Sweden in the region has already risen to ten percent. These people openly state that security concerns were one of the main reasons for their move.

So, the question is whether Finns and citizens of other EU countries should do something about it before it is too late. Like changing their interpretation of the Geneva Refugee Convention or reducing the kinds of incentives that have led to mass immigration of people who are poorly integrated into society - the latter being included in the action plan of the current Finnish Government.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Swedish TV Did Not Learn Anything From the Riots in the UK
Sweden's Rapid Demographic Shift Causes Challenges
Finland to Tighten Asylum Legislation and Reduce Undocumented Residents