8 Chapter 8 The Debacle of Sweden’s Justice System

Sexual abuse in Sweden is an ongoing crisis that has led the country to be known as the highest incidence of reported rapes in Europe, but at the same time, has the lowest rate of conviction. The high rate of rapes with little to no punishment, has allowed rapists to get away with their crimes and has indirectly discouraged victims to not speak up, knowing that no justice will come of it. Sweden’s high rate of non-convicted rapes is reflected in Sun Storm, supporting the social attitudes that play a large role in the real life reasoning behind why so few rapists are convicted and why victims shy away from sharing their stories.

Churches are typically viewed as “safe places” for those in need. However, as history has shown, the people and places you least suspect, should be the people and places you most suspect. Corruption, sexual abuse, fraud — are just a short list of things that many get away with with few knowing. Various churches within Sweden have been culprits of allowing convicted sexual abusers back into the church. A specific incident of this was in 2008, in the Church of Sweden, when it was released that an administrator of the church had had sex with two youths in his parish. The church allowed him to come back to the church and put his collar on, again. This is a great example, showing those within the church that they can get away with crimes with little harm done to their working life, and shows victims that reporting doesn’t necessarily mean something will be done. Ongoing instances of related incidents continue to occur and only hinder the “no tolerance policy” many churches claim to have. “This is a catastrophe,” said Klein, a priest. “It calls into question the credibility of the church. Parents should be able to leave their children for confirmation without having to be afraid that a priest might abuse them. You should allow priests to investigate complaints against other priests,” she said. (The Local). These examples of sexual abusers are not only occurring in Sweden, they’re occurring all over the world, exhibiting the crooked protocol within churches for such crimes. In the novel, when Rebecka comes face to face with Thomas when he, Curt, and Vesa come to kill Rebecka and Sanna’s daughters. Thomas reveals to Rebecka that he had known of the sexual assault saying, “She said Viktor had interfered with her girls …..I was such a fool. I asked her not to go to the police or the authorities. She’d spoken to Patrik Mattsson. I rang him and said Sanna had made a mistake.Threatened to throw him out of the church if he spread the rumor around” (Larsson, 287). Understanding that people are pressured to stay quiet due to various circumstances allows readers to empathize with Sanna and what it took to speak up although she was shut down due to what would happen within the church if the information was leaked. Sanna knowing that such accusations against a powerful person can look like a cry for attention or revenge and many will turn against the victim, rather than the accused. These poor social attitudes play a huge role in the way women decide to keep their stories to themselves, knowing authoritative figures are seen as trustworthy and have been dismissed with little questioning.

Women fail to report rapes every year for a multitude of reasons – anything from fear of the rapist, fear of lack of evidence, not wanting others to know, believing the police wouldn’t help them, and so on. Throughout Sun Storm, Sanna’s extremely strained relationship with her family suggests a deeper issue. Sanna finally finds the courage to tell someone that her daughters had been sexually abused by her brother.  After Thomas reveals the timeline of events that occurred after Sanna told him Viktor had been abusing the girls, Rebecka impatiently asks, “‘Did you speak to Viktor?’…. ‘He wouldn’t listen to me. It wasn’t even a conversation He leaned across my desk and threatened me — said my days as a pastor in this church were numbered. Said he had no intention of putting up with the fact that the pastors were lining their own pockets through the business” (Larsson, 287-288). Sanna’s fear or reporting her brother could have stemmed from believing no one would help her, which ultimately turned out to be the case. Victims are shut down and told they don’t know what happened or manipulate them to believe what the manipulator wants them to believe. “Social stigma and a lack of trust in the justice system often mean that women and girls fail to report attacks, and those that do, are frequently failed by callous and prejudiced justice systems or outdated laws.” (Amnesty).

Throughout the novel, a few odd behaviors of Lova and Sara are mentioned, but nothing much ever comes of it. Until, it is revealed that Viktor sexually abused them. In a small college town in Sweden, police have warned women to “think about how they behave after four rapes in four days (Carey). This mentality is obliging females to believe they are the ones to blame for any sexual assault. “Women in town should not be worried, but must think about how to behave,” said police spokesman Mikael Hedström. “Perpetrators are looking for solitary men and women, so it is important how to move.” (Carey). However, this isn’t the first time women have been told that they are the ones stirring up these acts. Women’s rights groups throughout Sweden have scolded law enforcement for putting the blame on women, rather than increasing police presence after a survey revealed four out of five young girls felt unsafe.Victim blaming within rape culture is a movement that society should be moving away from, rather than moving forward at this day in age.Harmful attitudes will not be suddenly changed by a change in the law.  A recent study found that that almost one in 10 people in Sweden agreed that gender-based violence against women is often provoked by the victim herself. One survivor told Amnesty International: ”I even got that comment from my mother. She said ’I have always tried to teach you how to dress’” (Amnesty). The rape culture women are taught hinders womens desire and trust within the system to pursue these abusers and seek legal action against them. Sara and/or Lova could have felt this pressure as young girls, not knowing any better and believing that this was something that was their fault. Understanding this mentality can allow readers to get a better understanding of why no one spoke up. Mariet Ghadimi, a women’s rights activist, told SVT Nyheter  “Reducing girls’ freedom of movement is a serious development. It is a structural problem that restricts girls’ freedom and rights, and in the long run, affects women generally.” (Carey). Sara and Lova viewing their mothers actions as an example will only continue the habits of  women believing that their actions, looks, or words led to what happened to them.

With Sweden being the leading country in reported rapes, while simultaneously having the lowest rates of convictions, Sanna’s decision to speak up about her daughter’s sexual abuse proves the the lack of justice within the system can discourage sexual abuse to be reported. Likewise, intimidation by authoritative figures, the known absence of punishment, and society’s way of putting blame on victim’s physical appearance and behaviors, women all over the world, and Sweden, have shied away from seeking the justice they deserve.

Works Cited

Carey, Anita. “Multiple Rapes in Swedish Town Prompt Safety Warnings.” Church Militant – Serving Catholics, 2019, https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/swedish-police-warn-women (Links to an external site.).

Larsson Åsa, and Marlaine Delargy. Sun Storm. Delacorte Press, 2007.

Local, TT/The. “Church Needs New Sex Abuse Policy: Clergy.” The Local, The Local, 5 Apr. 2015, https://www.thelocal.se/20150405/church-needs-new-sex-abuse-policy-clergy (Links to an external site.).

“Nordic Countries Do Not Define Rape on the Basis of Lack of Consent.” Nordic Countries: Survivors of Rape Unite to End Impunity for Rapists and Break Barriers to Justice | Amnesty International, 3 Apr. 2019, https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/04/rape-and-sexual-violence-in-nordic-countries-consent-laws/.