Special debate on measures to counter children's and young people's links to criminal networks

Rasmus Ling (MP)

Madam Speaker! The bloody wave of violence continues. The police estimate that 1,000 children are recruited into the gangs every year, which means 3 every day.

Special debate on measures to counter children's and young people's links to criminal networks

The Crime Prevention Council reports that children aged 12-15 are recruited into criminal networks by other young people, who are often 15-20 years old. And the recruitment happens quickly, sometimes within a day. We can lock up as many as we want, but if we do not succeed in breaking the new recruitment, we will never get out of the spiral of violence.

Everyone agrees that preventive measures are needed, but what we mean by that differs. In order to move forward, we must talk about what is required to prevent crime; otherwise, we do not stand a chance. That is why Miljöpartiet requested this special debate.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! No child is born a criminal. Nevertheless, there is a situation today where children as young as ten-year-olds are recruited directly into criminal networks. There are reports from police officers stating that eight-year-olds are present in these criminal environments. This is, of course, unacceptable and something that society must act forcefully against.

But that children and young people feel such hopelessness, such exclusion, that they choose to stay in these criminal environments says a great deal about today's Sweden. This development has not arisen in the last few months, but has been built up over a long period and will take a long time to break. But it will involve a complex and long-term effort that will require both a strong commitment and a strong determination from all actors.

The government has been clear from day one. The crime prevention work must be conducted as systematically as the crime-fighting. Both parts must be there. Therefore, the policy is now being shifted. The government is shifting the policy to focus on early preventive work. It is about getting in already at BVC and MVC and seeing the important significance of family centers. There must be functioning preschools, with everything that it means for starting school. The research is clear there.

We know that there are two clear preventive parts that need to be strengthened. The first is the family. That is also why the government is investing large resources in parenting support. Being able to build and strengthen families is an incredibly important part.

The second part is the school. Not least as a former junior high school teacher, I understand the importance of a functioning school. The investment in the school social teams, investing in special education teachers for the children who need them most, will be the best vaccination against future exclusion.

But we are also building more parts. We are looking at foster homes, that is to say, reviewing the entire child and youth care so that it functions. I am happy to return to that question.

Few things are more important than turning the situation around for our children and young people. I would therefore like to thank Miljöpartiet for taking the initiative for today's important debate. I look forward to a debate in a constructive spirit because I am convinced that it is not political bickering that will get us out of the situation. I am also convinced that all participants in today's debate are not interested in political bickering but in a constructive discussion about what we actually should do to solve the situation.

Therefore, I also want to mention that an invitation will be sent out tomorrow to all parties to a meeting to be held as early as January, so that we can together take today's constructive debate further to do everything we can to ensure that these children get a better future.

(Applause)

In this speech, Johan Hultberg, Magnus Resare and Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (all M) concurred.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Madam Speaker! First, I would like to extend a big thank you to Miljöpartiet for the initiative for the debate.

We live in one of the world's best-functioning countries, one of the world's richest countries, one of the world's best-organized countries, with a very high standard of living. Despite this, there is a development where children shoot children. Gang crime is growing, and Sweden has been transformed into a cautionary tale for other comparable countries.

This requires us politicians to set aside prestige, polite phrases and bickering and focus on what actually stops gang crime and puts a stop to the new recruitment.

It also requires that we are honest. When we see flaws in each other's policies, we must point them out. That is why it is my role also, as a representative for the Social Democrats, a party that has decided to be a constructive opposition, to point out that there are flaws in the policies being pursued.

A long series of measures in the repressive area will be carried out by the government. A good deal of the measures and reforms we Social Democrats will support. There are also strange elements in the policy being pursued, for example the talk about that 13-year-olds should be put in prison and the Sweden Democrats' move that prison is not enough but that it should be life imprisonment for 13-year-olds. There we will take the fight. We will support constructive proposals that move us forward, and we will take the fight where the proposals are counterproductive.

Madam Speaker! We are missing a completely central part of the policy required for us to stop the gangs from growing, namely the work to stop new recruitment. There, beautiful words and beautiful promises are not enough; the municipalities must be given resources and conditions to stop new recruitment. Right now, they are faced with a reality where they have to choose where cuts should be made in different parts of the operations. Shall the number of adults in the school decrease, or shall savings be implemented in social services? That is the reality in Sweden's municipalities today. Beautiful words will not help those municipalities.

I urge the Minister and the government to rethink, to see the whole picture. Repressive proposals and imprisonment for children will not solve these problems. We must stop the new recruitment, and that requires the government and the Minister to let go of their prestige and be more self-critical than they are today.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Madam Speaker! The society that our children and grandchildren will grow up in is far from the secure Sweden that I, and many others in this chamber, grew up in. Trust in one another and in society was high. Children, young people, and the elderly could move safely on our streets and squares.

Madam Speaker! Sweden is now anything but safe. There are shootings and bombings every other day. There are gang wars where small children are involved, and they are both killed and are killing. Innocents are hit in the midst of the gangs' settlements, and it is pure executions where innocents get caught in the crossfire.

I feel both sorrow, anger and despair. This is a catastrophe, and it really must be stopped.

I also want to thank Miljöpartiet for taking the initiative for this important debate. I too wish that we could have had constructive discussions much earlier and addressed the causes of the society we see today before it had gone so far. This is unfortunately a development that we Sverigedemokrater have warned against for a long time, where other parties have turned a blind eye to reality's serious problems for far too long. This is the result of a naive and irresponsible migration policy and a senseless crime policy pursued by previous governments.

We in the Sweden Democrats will do everything in our power to turn this around and get order in Sweden again. I am therefore pleased that we, together with the government parties within the framework of the Tidö Agreement, have agreed on a number of important measures to both work preventatively and take decisive action against the gross and escalating crime in our country.

Madam Speaker! Safe, well-off families are the cornerstone of society and among the most important factors in preventing children and young people from falling into crime and substance abuse. A safe family environment creates trust and self-esteem and a sense of coherence. It is there that children develop basic social, emotional, and cognitive skills. It is there we learn to build relationships, solve problems, and manage conflicts.

Parents or guardians have a great responsibility to give their children love and security, teach them values, respect, empathy and responsibility, and be good role models. They also have a responsibility to set clear boundaries and rules. Children need love but at the same time frameworks to behave within, and where that falls short, society must step in.

For us, early preventive work is of immense importance. It is here we must begin. BVC, preschool, school, health and medical care, and social services are a chain that needs to be intact, and we need to work together.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Madam Speaker! We in Vänsterpartiet are determined to stop the brutal crime that is shattering the lives of children and their families. Not one child in this country shall be robbed of a secure childhood for a life marked by violence, fear, and in the worst cases, evil, sudden death. No children shall be murdered. No children shall become murderers.

There is no doubt that the situation is so serious that we must now act with strength and courage and with a firm hand ensure that the recruitment is stopped. No child's life or future shall lie in the hands of gang criminals. Their future shall lie in ours.

For it to become a reality, powerful crime fighting is required that is purposeful and effective and that yields results. Rapid measures are needed that begin here and now and that do not strike first when the catastrophe is a fact. Society's firm hand must maintain a steady grip on our children and young people so that it never goes so far that their lives and well-being are at stake.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, it is required that Sweden takes a completely new path that protects children's right to a life free from violence in a country that is safe.

It may sound completely unreal, but it is actually true that we have never fully tested the method and the means that, according to research and proven experience, yield the best results. We have never structurally used the strongest tool of crime fighting, the preventive work, to stop gang crime.

Carina Ohlsson's 1,200-page report was the latest of countless accounts that clearly demonstrate society's failings in the care of our children and young people drifting away. It is a frightening insight, Madam Speaker, that the children and young people who have been in the risk zone for recruitment into the most brutal of activities have been failed by those in power for generations. Without providing either protective walls against falling into crime or fast tracks to get out of it, they have given a walkover to the criminals. The result is the reality we see right now.

The good news, if one is inclined towards the more positive side, is that we have the best path ahead of us. We in Vänsterpartiet offer the opportunity to forcefully begin the most persistent crime-fighting work in Sweden ever, and we look forward to taking the lead for that work.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Miljöpartiet, for an important debate!

Do you know? Just as has been said before: No child is born a criminal - no child. But there are a number of well-known risk factors that cause certain children to be drawn into crime, more or less consciously.

If one or both parents abuse or subject the child to violence or neglect, these are risk factors. If a child has a NPF diagnosis or other difficulties in cognitive and emotional development, these are also risk factors. If the child does not receive support, it leads to early failures in school and increased school absence, which in themselves are risk factors. All of this is a dangerous cocktail.

It is our responsibility not to leave any child behind or lose faith in a single child. I completely agree with the government that tough measures are needed when young people under 18 are already involved in serious crime, but in order for as few children as possible to be drawn into crime, we need to do much more for a broad group of younger children before this happens. This is what I think the government is missing, even though it is equally urgent.

Centerpartiet wants that even during visits to MVC and BVC, there should be active screening for abuse, neglect, and violence. In that case, the employees need competence and enough colleagues.

We want there to be family centers throughout the country, with uniform mandates and uniform methods. Today, no such thing exists. We need to know what works and what we should do more of. The government must give our authorities clear crime-prevention mandates so that we get evidence-based interventions, follow-up research, and clear national guidelines.

Centerpartiet has allocated more money than the government to the municipalities because that is where the crime-preventive work can take place within social services and school. In our budget for both 2022 and 2023 and now ahead of 2024, we have strengthened the conditions for the municipalities to recruit more teachers and employees in social services, strengthen competence and make the profession more attractive.

The government allocates money to various projects, but I do not see that it is ensured that what is to be done is based on research and knowledge with a holistic perspective so that we know we are making the right efforts. It is here that I see the government is failing. But I hope that with today's debate we can move further forward in the discussions.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Madam Speaker! Right now, a very dark picture is being painted of children's and young people's connection to criminal networks.

The police testify that young people are drawn into and recruited by criminal gangs on a daily basis. Some young people take the initiative themselves. Others are lured in with promises of quick rewards. A third category is forced into the networks under covert or open threats.

As recently as the other day, it was reported that young people with functional impairments, such as ADHD, are being persuaded to assemble and detonate explosive charges. They are therefore deliberately and cynically seeking out young people with low impulse control and a lack of consideration for consequences and using them as useful tools in the gang wars.

Against that background, it is easy to become gloomy, but it is important that we note that it is in no way hopeless from our side. We can change this with joint efforts, but it requires all the good forces of the entire adult society.

From the government's side, a holistic approach is being taken regarding juvenile delinquency. It has been mentioned here that there are a number of repressive measures, and that is true. But it also includes new, earlier, and better coordinated preventive measures.

The secrecy barriers are being torn down. We are carrying out the largest investment in the entire social services that any government has ever made – large sums. We are increasing parental support, and we are investing in the school. There will also be a new Social Services Act that has a more proactive orientation than the current one.

But the basis for successful work is built on three cornerstones: the private, the public, and civil society.

When we talk about the private sphere, we are primarily talking about the family. Secure families produce secure children. But we also talk about the business sector, which has an important role to play in this – to provide young people with internships and give them opportunities to develop and grow as human beings and find role models other than gangster rappers, who often become their idols.

When it comes to the public sector, a number of authorities have key roles: social services, the school, and the police. They must, of course, do an incredible amount together, not least identifying children who are drifting away, contacting parents, and so on.

The last thing is civil society, i.e., the popular movements. We have the sports movement, churches, the scout movement, a lot of other activities and NGOs, which do a lot of work to support young people who are heading out into a criminal world.

There are good examples that we can pick up on. Araby in Växjö is one such. By applying this methodology, they have succeeded in getting Araby off the list of particularly vulnerable areas.

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Madam Speaker! The Government has often pointed to Denmark and what has been done there. One has been on-site in Denmark and learned, and pointed not least to the Danish sentences. One has spoken about that we should have Danish sentences for Swedish crimes.

However, we will not solve the problem of gang violence with harsh penalties if we do not attack the root of the problem. Even here, there is very much we can learn from Denmark. The early preventive measures they have taken have truly had an effect.

One example is the project Aktive drenge, which has been conducted in Copenhagen's marginalized areas. Young boys have been identified early and followed up continuously over several years. Police, social services, and other actors collaborate around the young person and provide individualized support. We in Miljöpartiet strongly welcome this type of method. This is how we break a bad pattern.

But we must also ensure that we provide proper resources for this. Work such as that which has been done in Denmark is not free; it naturally costs a lot of money. But in the long run, one saves when one does not need to pay for years in prison or institution. Besides the economic aspect, it is also naturally about all the suffering for both crime victims and relatives. We must invest these funds so that we can prevent this.

Madam Speaker! That is why we were disappointed by the budget that the government presented and for which we set the framework here in the chamber yesterday. The resources needed for social services, schools, and healthcare are not being added, and that makes, Madam Speaker, that we now have a situation where cuts need to be made across Sweden's municipalities. Regardless of which parties govern the municipalities, they cannot manage it. The money is not enough; instead, cuts must be made. This is a betrayal of children and young people, who deserve a reasonable chance. Larger supplements would have been needed.

We have, Madam Speaker, a chance to reverse the development. But then the government must open its eyes and see the structures that lie behind the violence. According to research, there are strong links between school failure, poverty and crime - the school is extremely central. Let us see what we can do with this knowledge. How can we help the young people to get their lives on the right track?

I want, Madam Speaker, to urge the government to provide sufficient resources for the welfare system and to give children the bright future that every child actually deserves.

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Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! Sweden is one of the world's strongest welfare societies, and yet we are debating that children commit serious violent crimes against other children. The sitting government has strengthened the crime victim perspective and continues to push forward to strengthen the children's rights perspective and see the most vulnerable victims - the children.

But in order to increase the accuracy in crime prevention work, we must lift our gaze and look beyond the socioeconomic causes that are used all too one-sidedly as an explanatory model. The vast majority of children growing up in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas will never commit crimes. We must understand what it is that makes children choose the gangs over school and what makes certain children become easy victims for cynical gang criminals - all in order to be able to help them.

We know that children living in families where the adults have their own problems run an increased risk of developing psychosocial problems that increase the risk of crime. We know that inconsistent upbringing, abuse or violence against children constitute risk factors, as do crime or substance abuse among parents. It all starts in the home, and violence breeds violence.

We must include how it affects children to grow up in a family where a father exerts violence against the whole family and that there are families who demand that a son should control his sisters and are urged to resort to violence already at preschool, and we must realize how norms and values that parents convey affect children.

We politicians must have a clear backbone when opposition arises, because opposition arises when we dare to challenge and question norms, values, and parental rights and take a clear stand for the individual vulnerable child. Adults' discomfort and fear of questioning other adults must never weigh more heavily than children's right to support and protection.

Thank you very much, Miljöpartiet, for today's debate!

(Applause)

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! I am currently spending a lot of time traveling around the country and meeting with Sweden's social services. What is requested when I ask what is needed to be able to carry out a better and more systematic preventive work is very clear: a new Social Services Act, which, unlike today's more reactive legislation, also provides the opportunity to start working preventively early, when the early signals appear and not, as today, when the unpleasant thing has already occurred. This is very clear. One wants to be able to make interventions when the window opens, not three months later when the investigation is complete.

There are a number of things missing in the proposal for the Social Services Act that is currently on the table. Unlike before, this government has said that we are now, systematically and step by step, moving forward to provide our social services with all the tools that need to be put in place.

I am very pleased with the dialogue that I have with SKR, Sveriges socialchefer, Akademikerförbundet SSR and Vision, and I also asked during that meeting I first initiated if they wanted to see all parts on site from the beginning or if we should at least take the first step with the existing investigation. They were clear: Present the current investigation, with the deficiencies that exist there today, and start there! And that is how we work.

The second issue that the social services are raising with me is that we need to have different secrecy legislation. We have requested this for many years. We need to have a situation where we can sit around the same table – police, social services, and school – to be able to talk about these children and young people early on and implement early interventions. This has been requested for a long time. It may not say so much, but this government is now working on no fewer than three inquiries that look at this, to ensure that the changed secrecy legislation is put in place.

There are also social services that tell me: If only we could have done more to get the parents involved in the work! We all know here that most parents are prepared to do exactly everything they can to ensure their children's future. But when it comes to those parents who do not do that, it is important that there are other conditions for the social services to get them to participate. This is what we are now working out.

It is clear that it is the same children who are both perpetrators and victims. We must take this very seriously and work on it fully.

(Applause)

In this speech, Johan Hultberg and Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (both M) agreed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Madam Speaker! The Minister refers to the work on a new Social Services Act. It is a task that engaged the previous government. There has been an investigation for several years now. It has been debated. Hard work has been done on the legislative proposals at the Ministry of Social Affairs, not least under the leadership of the former Minister Lena Hallengren.

The government has now had more than a year, and no proposal is yet on the Riksdag's table. The Minister invited us to a conversation after the Christmas break. Is the Minister prepared to sit down with us and try to find a solution where we push through this legislation as quickly as possible, so that the country's social services do not have to go and wait another one or two years for the laws to enter into force?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! We are currently working intensively at the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs to get all the parts in place that are needed for the legislation to achieve the required effect.

The directives that the former Minister Lena Hallengren gave to the investigator Margareta Winberg were that the investigation must not be cost-driving. This has, as everyone understands, entailed a number of difficulties.

This government does not allow itself to be limited in that way, and we are now also working out the parts that will be cost-driving. We are therefore also making the most, as far as I am aware, significant investment that any government has ever made on the social services. In the coming years, we are investing 8 billion on the new Social Services Act.

I want to conclude by saying that I held my initial discussions with exactly those organizations that I mentioned from the rostrum. They want us to proceed at this pace to ensure that the bill is actually implemented. This is now happening in discussions and through agreements with, among others, Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner.

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Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! I am very pleased if the Minister is prepared to invest more money in the social services. In the government's figures, they speak of 8 billion. That is not enough considering the inflation we have.

I would like to ask the Minister: Is the Minister prepared to come to the talks in January with considerations regarding changing the government's position on the funding of municipal activities and providing more resources to the municipalities that are now forced to make savings in schools and social services due to the budget that the government has presented here in the Riksdag?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I believe that Member Shekarabi is well aware that the government is making major investments in our municipalities and regions. In addition to what is in the previous budget, we are now allocating 16 billion.

We usually hear from both Social Democratic and Moderate representatives that they do not want to receive specially designated state grants. It is a bit fascinating that this always comes up, because we have a local self-government that we both usually defend to a very high extent.

I am more concerned – and member Shekarabi should also be – that it always seems to be the preventive work and the social services that get cut when priorities are made in municipal budgets. I believe it is important that we now highlight the social services' work and that we highlight the social workers because that professional group will account for so much of the preventive and promising work.

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Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! I have great respect for the Minister's work regarding children's rights. We have collaborated extensively on those issues, and I know that the Minister has a strong ambition, which I truly appreciate.

But both I and Camilla Waltersson Grönvall know that a persistent and purposeful crime prevention effort also requires a very strong social service. We need a robust and supported corps that has both the resources and the energy to carry out the work that is required here.

Now SKR is warning of a deficit in the municipal sector of 31 billion kronor. I know, as I have said, that the Minister has great ambitions when it comes to children's rights, but how is this going to become a reality if the government does not simultaneously provide the resources required?

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I truly want to reciprocate this and say how happy I am about the cooperation that, not least Member Maj Karlsson and I, have had during the years that have passed. We have fought together to strengthen children's rights. In that work, there is also a high level of ambition for Swedish social services.

Just as I concluded my previous speech by saying, it is important that Swedish social services get the right muscles, the right conditions, and actually also the right self-confidence, because I believe that Swedish social services have not been lifted enough by any political party, really. There, I believe we all have a great deal to do together.

Now it is important to focus on the fact that through the new Social Services Act we are freeing up time and resources, because there will not be as many measures as today that require a means test. This will give the social services other muscles and conditions.

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Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for the answer! A strong welfare state is the absolutely most important crime-preventing measure we have. All cuts to welfare are like a feast for criminal networks and gangs when it comes to finding a platform to recruit children and young people. This is what is so dangerous about the enormous deficit that SKR is now warning about.

In the budget, the government has invested quite a lot of money in the social services to introduce the new Social Services Act. But I miss the other investments. It is not just the social services that we need to strengthen, but we need to get these funds overall. It is a bit empty on this from the government's side.

I do not doubt the Minister's ambitions at all. I am pleased with the presentation that Camilla Waltersson Grönvall made here today, as it demonstrates a sense of direction that I believe Sweden truly needs. But the resources must be there, and right now we are facing a huge deficit.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! It is very true that the situation we find ourselves in has not arisen overnight or even over the last few months, but it is a development that we have seen over a long period. Unfortunately, this means that a complete reorganization of policy will be required so that we can invest in and focus on early and preventive work.

Only in next year's budget do we allocate 2.8 billion to the preventive work. These are quite large investments. A part of this is the parenting support. We know that it works. It is a matter of seeing where there is evidence and where we can build these environments in the best way. There, the family and the parenting support are one of the things that we invest very heavily in. From the social services, I am also told that it works and has a very good effect.

The second part includes, among other things, the 250 million that are now being invested in school social teams, as well as the special education teachers who will have a great significance for more children and young people to succeed in their future schooling. It is therefore about a collective effort.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, for your speech! We hear about investigations that are underway and about the new Social Services Act, which many of us are waiting for. I think it is taking a bit long.

One can compare it with the government's entire work, where it goes very much faster to produce repressive measures that actually have no preventive effect for the children we are talking about now. It is about families who need support as soon as the children are small - one or two years old.

I think it takes a bit too long. I also miss the assignments to authorities to review what has evidence. We are talking about parenting support, but it is not the only thing we need research on and evidence for.

My question is: Where are the directives when it comes to research and evidence? Where are the assignments to Socialstyrelsen to work with these issues? It is about us working equally across the whole country - in 290 municipalities and in 21 regions.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you very much for the question. Yes, this is one of the things that I am focusing on most right now. It is about ensuring that we get a good implementation of the new Social Services Act. I will never claim that I have all the solutions myself, but I spend a lot of time listening and having a dialogue with not least our trade unions, our social services directors, SKR and many others. I also travel around and speak with our colleges and universities. It is very clear that there is a lot of research that needs to be taken into account.

As late as this week, I sat down one afternoon and discussed with the various actors to ensure that the implementation will take place in a good and well-thought-out manner.

The question of how we ensure that all municipalities are on a kind of common baseline and receive support in evidence-based methods is one of the questions that we will now work on even more intensively.

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Martina Johansson (C)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the answer. We hear again that we are to work intensively with these issues, but why has more not happened during the first year? Some of the most important things we have are our small children. I do not want to see that we do not make these efforts and that we get more children who end up in this criminality.

I will not speak about exactly which methods are to be used, for that is not our role in this chamber. But we can agree that this is needed.

We also need clear leadership. From a political standpoint, we can truly point to the best interests of the child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. I believe that from that legislation, which is as strong as other legislation, there is very much that could be done already today to help these children. But then one must show clear political leadership all the way from the Prime Minister down to the regions and municipalities.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, it is important in a democracy to build legislation that holds and that does not cause greater harm. And one needs to do this in a careful manner. That is precisely why I am very careful when it comes to measures and the legislative proposals that I put on the table. This shall take place in very close interaction with, not least, the municipalities that are now to implement the legislation.

It is almost not a day goes by without me wishing that things would go faster or that much would already be in place. These problems have not arisen during the last year. The legislation has been long-awaited for a long time.

But I note that we have many municipalities that today do not find themselves at the minimum level that SKR considers necessary in order to be able to take this further. Therefore, our efforts right now are about ensuring that we will actually get a Sweden where it does not matter which municipality one lives in. All children and young people shall have the right to the same opportunities.

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I think it is a good discussion and debate. I think both the Minister and others participating highlight pressing issues and perspectives.

Miljöpartiet will, in this issue as in others, be a constructive opposition. I believe there are several parts where we can meet, agree, and move forward. The confidentiality issues, which the Minister has mentioned, are one such. The new Social Services Act could be another. But there are also parts where we do not agree, where we will be critical, and where there will be a political conflict. One such is the age of criminal responsibility.

I want to ask why the government is investigating a lowered age of criminal responsibility, in light of the criticism this has received from the children's rights committee.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank you very much for the question. I also want to thank for the opening that Rasmus Ling had in his speech. I believe it is important that we look beyond political bickering and see that these issues are so large and important that we must have the constructive spirit that I perceive has existed in this debate.

With that said, it is important to ensure that we today have all the tools on the table that are necessary to be able to act. It is a situation where people as young as eight, nine, and ten-year-olds are in these environments. That means we must lift every single stone to be able to ensure that we get the tools in place. It is also why a number of different investigations are now looking at different possibilities for action.

When it comes to children and the age of criminal responsibility, the fact is that today's age limit means that we have limited opportunities to carry out certain interventions.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Of course, society must be able to take action when children commit crimes even if they have not reached the age of criminal responsibility. That is already the case today. It is, of course, possible to discuss how this should be adjusted.

But what is being investigated, Mr. Speaker, is a lowered age of criminal responsibility. It is a party in the government support that has proposed that it should be 13 years and that there should be a full scale of penalties up to life imprisonment.

Mr. Speaker! One must take it seriously. Even if the government has not moved forward with this, one should actually respond to how one views it and to the fact that one is investigating a reduction.

We have eight- and nine-year-olds committing crimes. I really hope the government is not thinking that the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to that level. It is, as the Minister pointed out, other interventions than imprisonment that need to be relevant when it concerns children.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I believe I can initially reassure Rasmus Ling that the government does not intend to put these small children in prison. In all my speeches today, I have focused clearly on the fact that the government is now conducting work on crime prevention and prevention that is just as systematic as crime-fighting work. This situation, in fact, cannot be solved if we do not stop the recruitment to the criminal networks.

We must get children and young people in this country to choose a positive and bright future. And they must be given the tools and the opportunities for a positive and bright future. This is achieved by supporting families and parents. And it is about strengthening the school.

Sometimes one does not succeed despite all these preventive measures. Therefore, we are now investing large resources in also building up a family home structure that is to be more robust and that can be an alternative to the institutional care that we see today does not work.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! When one speaks with the country's police, especially those police officers who work in crime-affected areas and towards children and young people, one hears that they are often very much in agreement. What they need and what they want to see is more investments in stopping new recruitment. They want to see other forces on site – social services, the school, and civil society. It is about investments so that children and young people can get summer jobs, so that they can establish themselves quickly and early in the labor market and be independent of their parents' income.

When one listens to the Minister, one hears words that recur: large resource additions. Then one almost becomes happy. One feels that perhaps that is where we are headed. We might meet the police who are waiting for the whole of society to step in. But then, unfortunately, there is reality.

I went to the website of the union newspaper Kommunalarbetaren to see what has been written about resource supplements. One headline is: More than half of the country's 20 largest municipalities are cutting staff in school and preschool. It says:

"The coming school year will see major cuts in school and preschool, shows Kommunalarbetaren's survey."

"This is a catastrophe," says Kommunals chairman Malin Ragnegård.

Then one thinks: These municipalities might have resources. They might just be prioritizing investing in something else.

But if you go to SKR's website – the Minister referred to SKR – you find an article directly where it says: Staff shortages and deficits challenge welfare operations. Municipalities and regions are in what is described as a perfect storm.

When we had the pandemic, the previous government decided that a lack of resources should never stand in the way of managing the pandemic.

Now we have a wave of gang shootings and children entering the gangs. Lack of resources should never stand in the way of the work to stop new recruitment.

I urge the Minister and the Government to rethink. Put the work on new recruitment before tax cuts! Rethink the economic policy!

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Member Ardalan Shekarabi for what I perceive as a very engaged speech on a very pressing issue.

We find ourselves in a situation that has not arisen during the recent months. For a number of years, we have seen very clear signals, as the social services have sent out their signals and the police have requested the tools one needs to be able to work together with the social services and the school. And the school is requesting the same. Yet, we find ourselves in this situation right now.

We now have proposals on the table, partly due to the 27 motions we made in opposition which are now taking effect. What did the Social Democrats do during the eight years when they had the opportunity to influence this situation?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for this. First, I shall inform the Minister that the previous government had a close cooperation with SKR regarding the financing of the welfare, unlike how the situation is today, and they also met the needs that existed in the municipal sector. That is the first point.

The second thing is that an enormous number of reforms were implemented in the social policy area. Are we satisfied? Of course we are not. That is why we are standing and waiting. When will the new Social Services Act arrive? It has been a year now. It is still not on the Riksdag's table.

We say that we are putting aside prestige. We are a constructive opposition. We are happy to make the resources we have available so that the government can fast-track the proposals that are on the government's table.

But I perceive, Mr. Speaker, that prestige unfortunately stands in the way. One should not move forward with someone else's proposal. Drop that prestige! We will welcome the proposals you put forward. We will not have any prestige. The important thing is that these changes are implemented and that we do not bicker.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! Sometimes one might think that these proposals were already finished on the table when we entered the Government Offices. I really want to emphasize that was not the case. There are a number of different parts that are now being improved and strengthened.

I believe we should put the political bickering behind us and instead focus, because I am truly very interested in using these 2.8 billion kronor that the government is now investing in preventive work in a time that the Social Democratic government was not in, with an extremely high inflation which also erodes the value of the money that we need for Swedish welfare.

I would welcome further proposals from the Social Democrats and Member of Parliament Ardalan Shekarabi on how we should shift positions to be able to help these children and young people.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! It is quite simple. The criticism of the government's policy is quite unanimous from all possible actors: too few resources are allocated to the welfare system.

From the civil-liberal Center Party to the Left Party, the opposition agrees that there is too little money for social services, for schools, and for healthcare. We have record-high cost increases that are not covered in the government's budget.

It is quite simple. In January, we could sit down, and the government could say without any loss of face: Yes, it was too little money. We are changing our minds. We are listening to the criticism from SKR, from the opposition, from the trade unions, and from the municipalities.

I promise that we will support the government. As said: Let us put aside the prestige. Words will not help the social services. Resources are needed, and money is needed so that record-breaking cuts can be stopped next year.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Mr. Speaker! We see, as I have previously mentioned, that more and more young people and children are being drawn into serious crime. Schools, healthcare, the police, voluntary organizations and other public and private institutions need to cooperate with social services. Not least, parental responsibility needs to be strengthened. This is also part of the Tidö Agreement's priority areas. And we will ensure that the confidentiality barriers are torn down.

As I have mentioned previously, the preventive work is of immense importance, and I cannot emphasize it enough. The Sweden Democrats and the government parties agree that the crime prevention work shall be prioritized for real and that the Social Services Act shall be reformed.

The school needs to be strengthened, mental ill-health must decrease, school health services must be accessible, and teachers must have the authority to be able to ensure that there is order and discipline in the classroom at all.

Child and adolescent psychiatry needs to be strengthened. And we must all work together if we truly want to prevent and counteract young people falling into the clutches of criminals.

Research shows that students who succeed in school run a lower risk of committing crimes. There is also research that points to connections between different types of violence in school and students' school performance, and between mental ill-health and involvement in crime in the long term.

We will take action against juvenile crime with early interventions, reinforced parental responsibility, and expanded parental support programs. The goal is for parental support programs to be available in all municipalities.

On 24 May 2023, the Riksdag supported the committee's proposal regarding the bill A lowered age limit for open interventions for children without the guardian's consent.

More open forms of support shall be established, and, for example, family centers shall be expanded.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! My question to Carita Boulwén concerns the Sweden Democrats' view on resources for social services. During the last and the previous parliamentary terms, the Sweden Democrats often had a rhetoric that spoke of the Sweden Democrats putting Swedish welfare before other things and that more resources would be added. Now the Sweden Democrats lead Sweden's government when you are the most powerful party in this constellation and decide the central issues. One can practically say that the government executes the policy that the Sweden Democrats order.

Given the resource shortage that the municipalities, social services, and especially the schools have today due to the budget's priorities, are the Sweden Democrats satisfied with the economic policy being pursued, which affects the work of stopping new recruitment?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Ardalan Shekarabi for the question.

As I said in my speech, I emphasize the preventive measures very much. I know that the Social Democrats always tend to talk about more money. You have governed for eight years and have had opportunities. What have you done about the matter? Money does not always need to solve the situation; instead, it can be about introducing other ways of working. And one can stop spending money on unnecessary projects that do not result in any improvement at all.

The Sweden Democrats and the government are investing an enormous amount of money now - 2.8 billion for preventive measures during 2024. I think that is extremely important and good. There will also be more reforms ahead, which we are, of course, looking at.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to ask what other methods of working in the municipalities compensate for the fact that the social services' employees are losing colleagues. People who work in schools also note that there are fewer adults in schools who can take care of the children and students who have special needs. Will digitalization solve the lack of enough adults in schools? Will digitalization help the families where the parents are unable to fulfill their parental responsibilities?

Is it not the case that the cuts now being implemented in schools and social services lead to us having greater problems with the new recruitment to the gangs?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Carita Boulwén (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The situation we find ourselves in now is one that the Social Democrats and the previous government have laid the foundation for. We are now trying to clean up after you, Ardalan Shekarabi, and it is not easy.

We find ourselves in a recession at the same time as there is high inflation. We know that the municipalities need to make priorities. Everything is about priorities. During the covid pandemic, the government scattered money over many regions - money that was not actually needed. We know that there are ways to save. I believe that the municipalities and the regions will solve this. They have their own ideas on how they can save and what they should invest in instead.

As we have said, we are investing an enormous amount of money in crime prevention work, in social services and in schools - for example, in school social teams.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! The problem with the current policy is that it takes far too long. It takes several years before the hard hits land.

According to the government, we are to wait until children are so deeply involved in crime that they carry weapons or drugs, and then we will be able to take them in a visitation zone. We are to wait for people to be subjected to crimes in the hope that the perpetrator is filmed by a mounted video camera. We are to wait so long that children have been forced so far into the criminals' dark world that they commit serious violent crimes, even murder, and then we will lock them up in unethical children's prisons.

Then it is, like, already too late. For us in Vänsterpartiet, crime prevention is something that happens before the crime is committed - before our children become part of the criminal world, with all the suffering that entails.

The good thing about the preventive work, besides that we know it is effective, is that we can get it moving right here and now. Within every single profession that works with the children and young people we are talking about, there are people with the knowledge we need who are simply waiting to get started. They are waiting to get the muscles and resources to get moving. But perhaps the best of all is that the preventive work also gives the children the rights we have promised them according to law. We do not need to break a single convention. Instead, we can – and shall – stand up for children's right to grow up without violence and their right to receive society's support when they need it.

For those who want to turn our children into perpetrators - who have the cold-bloodedness to turn our children into victims - there is nothing fine to be gained here. It is precisely this type of crime fighting that is the greatest threat to their brutal activities.

(Applause)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Mr. Speaker! On the radio the other day, we could hear that many parents are declining interventions and that volunteerism is not enough - that parents need to be more involved and that more mandatory interventions are required where requirements are placed on the parents.

If we do not intervene early, when the children are small and the parents are more receptive to support, for example at BVC, it is clear that the parents will refuse interventions when the children get older and distrust towards society has increased. Therefore, we must enter early in the families' lives and build trust. We must also be clear in our demands - if it is the parent who is failing, we must be clear about what is required to improve the situation and what support can be offered to help the family.

If changes do not occur, it must be equally clear to everyone that the society will take over the care and custody of the child. And then the care must, of course, be better than if the child had grown up in the original family. Even here we can see that in the government's policy there are more reprisals than research and evidence regarding working methods within different foster homes, HVB and Sis.

I want to assert that most of the Center Party's proposals are possible to implement today, if one starts from the Convention on the Rights of the Child. But it requires leadership at all levels, and the Prime Minister and his party must begin. It is not enough to say that we shall introduce provisions that break confidentiality and have parenting education, because then one misses the goal again – and the goal is to reduce the influx of children and young people who are drawn into crime.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I have listened to the debate, and much is about resources – that there is a shortage of resources and that we are providing too few resources.

I come from Malmö myself. It is a city that has basically been governed by the Social Democrats for the last hundred years - with short interruptions totaling six years - and where, during these years, millions of kronor have been pumped into the school and social services. The results are very disappointing, I must unfortunately say. It has not become better. Therefore, I wonder if it is really money that is lacking. Is it important here to constantly provide more money? I land on the conclusion that it is other things that are needed.

We can, for example, look at the school. Yes, millions were pumped into the disadvantaged areas - and one is forced to close schools. It is still 30-40 percent of the kids who leave primary school without eligibility for upper secondary school, despite that one pumps in many resources. What is it then that is wrong?

We can also look at the social services. I have a background in the police myself, and then the social services could state that the children had developed heavy criminality before they turned 15. The social services were involved, but they were more reactive than proactive. It is there that we must find solutions: How do we reach this?

What has now happened in Stockholm has caused the organizations themselves to draw conclusions and experiences regarding what is wrong and adapt their work based on that. Social services, field assistants, and the police are working much more proactively to catch the children who are drifting. They are trying to catch them and steer them away from this. There, parenting is incredibly important, and we are now trying to catch this. Secure families provide secure children, and then they stay away from crime.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Torsten Elofsson for the contribution.

The Christian Democrats were previously a party that focused on social investments and, not least, social policy. A shift has occurred, but there is still a proud tradition from further back when it comes to social policy.

Torsten Elofsson, with a background in Malmö and as a police officer, is certainly aware of the investments that have been made in Malmö, including when it comes to Sluta skjut. These investments have led to a changed situation and to an improvement. The problems are obviously not solved, but it is moving in the right direction.

These projects cost money. Now Malmö municipality, just like all other municipalities in the country, has been affected by the policy of insufficient resources for the municipal sector that has been decided here in the Riksdag. Is Torsten Elofsson willing to join me and the municipal councilors in Malmö to visit the operations in Malmö to see the effects of the policy that this chamber decided on when the government presented its budget proposal?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Ardalan Shekarabi very much for the question.

I am absolutely ready to go to Malmö. I am actually going there tonight. I would like to meet Glenn Sjögren, who manages the Sluta skjut project, which in and of itself is a police project and not a municipal project.

We have absolutely not lost our social commitment - on the contrary, we want to work on crime prevention with these pieces. But Ardalan Shekarabi knows just as well as I do that in some cases repressive measures are also needed to lock up dangerous individuals. Even if they are young in years, they need to be put away.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Ardalan Shekarabi (S)

Mr. Speaker! Here we are in agreement. I believe that the Social Democrats have voted yes to all proposals that the government has submitted so far in the repressive area. It is not this that the conflict concerns.

The conflict is that it is one-sided - it is only short-term with a focus on harsher penalties, without stopping the new recruitment. Then we will not succeed. There is no country in the world that has succeeded in stopping gang crime with only repressive proposals. What is required is that one combines repressive proposals with large investments based on the problem picture that we have.

I want to ask Torsten Elofsson whether it is possible for the Christian Democrats to rethink when it comes to the resources for municipal activities next year. Are the Christian Democrats prepared to provide more resources to the municipalities, so that the cuts in social services and schools are stopped?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Ardalan Shekarabi for the question.

As I suggested in my speech, I am doubtful whether more money is the solution to these problems. There are structural problems that must be solved. This is in many ways a methodological question – it is about how the social services and the police work with this issue. This also applies, of course, to the school.

There are methods that can be used without, for that reason, pumping in money. If one is to pump in money, one must have a plan for how they are to be managed.

As I mentioned, a lot of money has been pumped in over the years, with very questionable and modest results. Perhaps we should try some other paths and consider whether there are structural problems that cause children to be drawn into crime. Do we have other problems that we must tackle instead of pumping in even more millions of kronor into this?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! A very strong crime-preventive measure to prevent children from being recruited into criminal gangs is to ensure that they have safe spaces, meaningful leisure time, opportunities to grow in their interests, and natural places for recovery and safety.

A home is for most of us the safest room we have. It is a prerequisite for one to even be able to function. Now you have commissioned an investigation in order to be able to take away children's homes through eviction to a greater extent. I would therefore like to ask you, Torsten Elofsson, how you can reach the conclusion that the eviction of children will not fall into the hands of those who want to recruit children into criminal gangs.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I thank Maj Karlsson for the question.

When it comes to the eviction of children, it is fundamentally about crime. We must consider taking some type of measure to address the insecurity created in the residential areas where they are located. Those who are at the root of the problem must somehow be addressed. If one cannot address this by continuing to have them living on-site, perhaps they should be moved to another place. We have even considered whether one might, for the sake of the family, move them to another municipality in order to remove them from the environment that actually triggers the crime among the children.

We are not out to harm the children. On the contrary, in this way, we want to help them to a better life in another place.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, member, for the answer!

Even today, far too many children are evicted in Sweden. They rarely end up in any better place, but instead, they are faced with a very tough life in homelessness.

The Children's Ombudsman has written a report on what consequences this has for these children. It is a fate marked by exclusion, disrupted schooling, severely impaired mental health, mistrust towards society, substance abuse and crime. This is a perfect concoction for a continued life in crime.

My question remains. Could the member, supported by the research, explain to me which of these consequences for the expelled children are crime-fighting?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! The question is also whose life one values.

I return to my hometown Malmö. We had criminal youths living in a property there. There were thermite bombs in the stairwell. There were shootings against the property. No one wanted to move into the property at all, and those who lived there wanted to move out as soon as possible. MKB, which owned the property, did not know what to do.

Who is it that we are protecting by letting them stay? Is it the criminals? Yes, it is. It is not the neighbors, who experience increasing insecurity and who risk their own lives when they enter the stairwell.

I am actually quite confident that we are on the right track regarding this. Possibly the evidence being cited here is an effect of this, but we must also protect other people.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! I want to speak in this discussion, because I think it is very important and very relevant. Torsten Elofsson also called for a discussion about something other than money and resource allocation. He spoke about the importance of safe families. Against this background, I think we can continue to reflect on this question.

The Christian Democrats and the government have said that they want greater opportunities to evict families when someone in the family has committed a crime. This means collective punishment and that younger siblings who have nothing to do with crime are evicted and have nowhere to live.

The question is obvious to me: How can this contribute to preventing crime? The effect will be quite the opposite, Mr. Speaker.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Rasmus Ling, for the question!

I would like to assert that a number of other methods for solving the problems have been exhausted by the time it goes as far as eviction. It is not that one throws oneself into this inexorably, but the social services, the property owner, and others try diligently to find a solution to the problems. But one can actually come to the conclusion that the only way to achieve peace, quiet, and order in the property and in the neighborhood is to move the family that is a cause for concern.

If it is a minor child, it becomes a bit strange. It is possibly possible to take the child into compulsory care in order to move them, but one can also reach an agreement with the family that it might be moved. The family might even think it is a good idea themselves – one doesn't know. The parents are, after all, concerned about their own children and naturally want what is best for them.

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! This is about a changed regulatory framework that is intended to make it significantly easier to evict families where someone in the family is a criminal or stays in criminal environments. This will affect younger siblings in such families. They have to live somewhere. Of course, there may be individual cases where one has the opportunity to move wherever they want and can get help with that, which is great, but Torsten Elofsson talks about a situation where MKB in Malmö has problems and wants to evict the family. But people have to live somewhere, and ultimately the municipalities have the responsibility. Fortunately, one cannot conjure children away, but they have to live somewhere.

How do you solve the problem by evicting small children and taking away their homes? In what way does that prevent crime, Torsten Elofsson?

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Torsten Elofsson (KD)

Mr. Speaker! One can also turn the question around. How does one solve the problem of insecurity in the residential area by keeping them living there? Whose safety are we to protect, the young criminals' or those of the neighbors who run the risk of both being harmed and suffering from ill health because of this?

I am prepared to discuss solutions to this with Miljöpartiet and Rasmus Ling. But in that case, please get back to me with the answer on how we solve it, because we do not solve it by letting families stay put undisturbed. That something must be done, we are probably at least in agreement on.

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! We need to do much more to get more people to leave the gangs. The exit activities being conducted make a difference. Many succeed in getting away from the path of crime, even though there are obviously also many who fail. For example, 234 people were enrolled in an exit program in Stockholm between June 2020 and September 2022. Of these, 25 people exited in a way that the police considered successful. This statistic must be significantly improved. More must be enrolled in the programs, and the work must yield better results. Telephone lines must be open longer and for more age groups. Every person who exits can mean that human lives are saved. It is about socially important and society-protecting activity, and it can mean the difference between life and death.

Mr. Speaker! Therefore, the asylum activities must be treated as the life-saving activities they are. A national strategy and a national responsibility are needed, and much needs to be done to improve the activities we have. Several asylum activities have been criticized due to mismanagement, and some have been forced to close. This is unacceptable, and supervision over the asylum activities is needed. We also want to introduce a licensing requirement so that the actors who wish to conduct asylum activities must be approved.

Mr. Speaker! Finally, I shall say something obvious: Without sufficient resources for the defector activities, we will not succeed.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to once again thank Rasmus Ling and Miljöpartiet for the initiative for this important debate, which in large parts has been constructive regarding what we need to do to counter a serious situation.

An important part that Rasmus Ling raised in his speech is the defection work. It is therefore pleasing to be able to say that there is a mandate for the Police Authority, the Prison and Probation Service, the National Board of Health and Welfare, and Sis to report, by February at the latest, how a national operation can look so that we get an equal and equitable defection work in our country. I look forward to returning to that.

But I also want to direct a question to Rasmus Ling: What more measures does the party that took the initiative for today's debate see that we can make when it comes to specifically crime-preventive measures? And which of the measures that the government intends to implement do you see will become effective?

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! When it comes to the activities of escapees, I look forward to what the Minister mentioned. An important part that the government has to consider, and where we will be constructive, concerns the situation of the Prison and Probation Service. They are incredibly pressured and have a high occupancy rate, but they must become better at preparing the inmates for release. There is a large and important job to be done here.

I do not have an exhaustive list of which of the government's measures can be effective. But as I have already said, we will be constructive. What we see that can lead forward, we will stand behind, and we will propose improvements where needed and be critical of that which leads in the wrong direction or backwards.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Mr. Speaker! I am making a new attempt and posing the question in a different way. I will not hide the fact that I was very disappointed with Member Shekarabi and the Social Democrats because there were no constructive proposals in the debate. I note that during eight years in government, they did not invest the large resources they now claim they can invest. They did not do it when they had the conditions but do it now in opposition. The Green Party was, after all, part of this government constellation.

The Social Democrats could not present any measures at all. What more measures does the Green Party want to see? Resources are important, and the government is investing 2.8 billion, including in preventive measures. But what measures do you want to see? If you do not do the right things, you can invest as much money as you want without it having the desired effect.

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Rasmus Ling (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Many measures cost money, and in the end, it is obviously always a discussion about resources. But let me highlight something that I believe can work, and that is what has been done in Denmark with De Aktive Drenge. I believe we should try this in Sweden as well. It is about identifying young boys who are in a risk zone, being with them in school, following them around and ensuring that they do not become friends with older people who are already involved in crime. It obviously costs money, but I am convinced that it pays off in the end. We will save suffering and committed crimes and thus crime victims. I believe it is a way of working that the government should try and allocate the necessary resources for.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Mr. Speaker! If the knowledge about the boys in the gangs is deficient, the knowledge about the girls' role is non-existent. Many seem to have difficulty imagining girls as gang criminals. Perhaps it is as simple as the perception of how girls and boys behave. For many years, far too many turned a blind eye to what was happening with the boys. In my previous contribution, I highlighted the importance of knowledge. We must, just as the Children's Ombudsman writes, map out the girls' situation and find out what background they have, what they have been exposed to, how they were recruited, and what role they have in the gangs. When we understand, we can influence and implement the right measures. Reality speaks its clear language: The girls are in the gangs, the girls are exploited by the gangs, and the girls are active in the gangs.

Mr. Speaker! The children we are talking about today are children who have not been granted access to the childhood that all children have a right to. I have heard many children and young people express that they had wished that the adult world had seen how bad it was and that someone had dared to ask how they were doing at home, asked about violence, shown that one wanted to know and acted, stood up for their rights, stood against those who subjected the child to things and who betrayed the child and in other cases supported the parent who wanted to but lacked the ability. They say: "You should have been there when I was small and afraid."

Mr. Speaker! If there is one thing we should all take away from today's debate, it is that no one has done enough and that politicians and authorities have failed many children. The solution to what we are debating is to see the child, take a stand for the child, and make early and clear interventions based on the individual child.

I am proud that we have a minister, Camilla Waltersson Grönvall, who has that ability. And I am convinced that we together, if we look up, can make a difference.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Mr. Speaker! I believe it was yesterday, Juno Blom, when you came forward with a new proposal about wanting to make it easier to place according to LVU. I thought the proposal felt resigned - once again, one acts late.

We in Vänsterpartiet feel this way: We want to create a top-class school. We want to build a rock-solid social service with such low thresholds that not a single child falls on the way in. We want a care chain where we do not have any children with NPF diagnoses being tossed around in a care carousel. We want a child and youth care that maintains quality.

Since the proposal came, and my question to the member is: Why are you acting only now, after so much time has passed?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! When one is to present different measures, one cannot stand there and speak about all the measures that have been presented previously or about things that are already underway.

One can look at, for example, the parenting support, where BVC and the social services enter families early together. It has had a positive effect which is super important in a time when we have threat and hate campaigns targeting the social services and which scare parents who would never be anywhere near having their children taken into care but who would still need support in one way or another. It is not the only measure, but I am overjoyed that such measures are being taken.

I have met many children who have suffered for a long time in families because there has been a fear of standing up for individual children whose entire upbringing has been characterized by violence.

It is clear that we must be able to do both. We must see the parents who have an orange classification and who can be helped so that they become green, and we must realize that there are parents who are red, who should not be parents and whose children should be taken into care earlier.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Maj Karlsson (V)

Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for your answer! I was very surprised by the proposal, among other things because the Member himself has been one of my strongest allies in the criticism of how placed children are doing in Sweden today.

We have seen incredible abuses, we have seen that the care does not meet the standard and we know that many times it goes worse for placed children than it did previously. Being placed in an institution even constitutes an increased risk factor for crime. Therefore, I thought it might have been more offensive to come with a package on how we should ensure that our placed children receive the care that we fought for when you were not in a government position.

Now you are in a government position and have the chance to do it. But now I feel this way: Okay, so we are just going to place more children. Furthermore, there is a shortage of space, so in what way does it become crime-fighting?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! I completely share your view, Maj Karlsson, that it is plague or cholera in some cases, when children are suffering terribly at home and we have not been able to make the interventions required, even though the state or the municipality has a responsibility.

That is why the initiatives that the Minister presented earlier are important regarding the funds for Socialstyrelsen, partly to find more foster homes, partly to raise the value regarding what an incredibly important contribution it is, partly to be able to provide support to the foster homes that undertake their extremely important task, and partly to be able to receive guidance.

Action must be taken regarding Sis. It is a catastrophe in many places where vulnerable children are forced to be placed. Still, in the best of worlds, all children would be born into families where the parents have the ability to take care of their children, but we know that it is not always so. We recently saw a tragic case, and we had "Lilla hjärtat" in Norrköping. We can list children who do not have that possibility, and in those cases, it must become easier to intervene earlier so that they do not end up in vulnerability and trauma.

(THIRD DEPUTY SPEAKER: I remind you that we do not insult each other in the chamber.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! A few weeks ago, a report was made that children with NPF do not receive passing grades, nor do they receive the right support to manage to achieve passing grades. In practice, this means that we have a grading system that eliminates children who do not perform in all sub-subjects so that they achieve the grade E and pass.

Failed schooling is a risk factor, which I have touched upon in my previous speeches. It is a result of and a major failure of the school's and the government's work.

The Liberals usually boast about the school as an important part of their policy, and there are proposals regarding school social teams. But if the grading system simultaneously knocks out students because they cannot orally describe a country's geography in the geography lesson, it doesn't help with teams that work with absenteeism.

In order to have a protective factor in school, all students must be able to achieve a passing grade. Therefore, my question is: Are the Liberals interested in reviewing the grading system so that we do not rule out more children in school and create increased risk?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! It is fortunate that this is a much larger debate, where we are talking about crime prevention. If I were to stand here and account for our grading system, I would drown. On the other hand, I can be clear that the big problem is that we must create a school where all children fit in, as we have had. One must see the needs that the children have, and that is where reforms with more special teachers and special teaching groups come in. One must also be able to see children for what they are without having to diagnose all children, which has become a major necessity in order to receive support measures.

Knowledge is important, and I do not know if it is the right way to go to lower it. On the other hand, the teaching ability can be increased and adapted to the children's individual circumstances. Children should feel that people believe in them and that they are given the right opportunities and conditions. I do believe, however, that the member should ask a school politician about exactly how it should be designed.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Martina Johansson (C)

Madam Speaker! That is how it is. It is a holistic effort if we are to protect every child from being drawn into crime. School is a large part of that, and therefore I take the opportunity to have that discussion with the Member, who has a great commitment, so that she can take the discussion on how we view the grading system further internally within her party. We need to ensure that students pass, even if they do not pass a sub-component.

Preventive work is also about early work, seeing the small children and their families and giving them support and help. MVC and BVC can be a part, and then comes the preschool in the next step. Here, I also see no initiatives from, among others, the Liberals and the government to ensure that we have a functioning cooperation already at the preschool level, which we know works, so that the municipalities do not need to reinvent the wheel several times.

We want all children to do well, but the question is how the Liberals ensure that the government sees to it that the work in preschool is based on cooperation and working methods that are similar and that work.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! Of course I can speak about how the school should be, because the school is greater than a grading system. That was what I was trying to convey. The most important thing is that children feel good, but it is also important that children feel that we have high expectations of them and give them the right conditions.

In the Children's Ombudsman's report *Utanförskap, våld och kärlek till orten* (Exclusion, violence and love for the neighborhood), it emerges that people live with a feeling that the adult world has low expectations, which they eventually internalize regarding themselves, which diminishes their self-image. I believe that one should have high expectations for children and that one should provide them with the right conditions and see each individual child.

Preschool is important. More children must start preschool much earlier. The value of preschool is enormous, because we know that the first years in a child's life are the most central. Preschool is the place where one can also gain insight into how children actually are doing, meet parents, and provide them with the right conditions.

I completely share the view of the preschool's important role.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Rasmus Ling (MP)

Madam Speaker! In the constituency I represent, Malmö stad, the Social Democrats, the Liberals, and the Green Party rule together. Our parties have done what we could to spare the school from cuts. But we have not succeeded. All activities must be scaled back. Nor can the school be spared, instead, one percent must be cut.

Madam Speaker! This is not because the municipal councilor Sara Wettergren, who represents the Liberals, has stepped in and said that she thinks this is something that is good and needed or that it is unnecessary money, but it is out of necessity, because the money is not there. And it is the same thing in other municipalities.

I wonder, Madam Speaker, why the Liberals do not ensure that the schools in Sweden's municipalities receive more resources.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! I thank Member Ling for the question.

The Liberals operate in a reality with inflation where we need to take a number of measures so that we do not place ourselves in an even worse situation. The Member, the Liberals, and the government may have different views on how to handle this. But here it is important to be able to see the whole picture in the long term.

When it comes to the school, we are now talking about the crime prevention work. Again, I believe that within the framework of the activities that exist, the school is central and important. As I touched upon earlier, the government is making investments in more special teachers, school social teams, and smaller teaching groups. Special teaching groups shall also be investigated for those who need to proceed at a faster pace so as not to become bored and end up excluded for that reason.

School is important. Initiatives are being made. But of course, we would all probably wish that it were possible to do even more.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Rasmus Ling (MP)

Madam Speaker! I do not think the importance of school for reducing crime in the long run and also tackling other problems can be overestimated. A high school diploma for a person is a vaccine against crime. It prevents unemployment and also other risks.

Madam Speaker! I believe that cutting back on schools to prevent the problem of inflation is fatally misguided. Admittedly, one must handle the inflation issue. Of course, one must do so, but to use the school as some kind of regulator and make cuts, I believe is as totally backwards as it can be.

I hope, Madam Speaker, that the Liberals and the government will reconsider and that next year we will not have to see Sweden's municipalities cutting costs in schools. They need investments.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Juno Blom (L)

Madam Speaker! Now it is not about the school specifically, because that is an elective issue. One can make priorities and changes in Norrköping Municipality, which is also in a tough situation. The Liberals are also involved in the governing there. It is clear that one needs to review how many empty places there are, which entail a cost if there are not enough students. One must constantly ensure that it is not teachers that should be saved on, but instead premises and buildings. I am completely convinced that one has also tried to review this in Malmö Municipality.

However, when we talk about crime prevention work, it is always about someone else. For me and the Liberals, the early interventions in the home are also important. One must dare to talk about what happens to children within the four walls of the home. Norms and values are needed to equip children, so that they do not enter a classroom with a lump in their stomach, which makes it much harder to absorb the teaching that is so important to receive. I believe that the Tidö Government has been quite weak in talking about these issues.

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Statsrådet Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M)

Madam Speaker! Sweden shall be a safe country for all children and provide the conditions for a safe and bright future for all children. That is not how it looks today.

Today we have far too many children growing up under extremely insecure circumstances and who become victims of the criminal networks. We must do everything we can to stop the recruitment into these networks.

For me, not only as Minister for Social Services but also as Minister for Children's Rights, children's rights are in sharp focus. Therefore, we are working with a number of different parts, where, for example, a part of the new lex Lilla hjärtat builds a pattern and a sustainable network for these children.

Special debate on measures to counter children's and young people's links to criminal networks

I want to thank everyone. I thank Miljöpartiet in particular once again for the initiative. I thank everyone who has participated in this debate, which I think has been conducted in a constructive spirit for the most part, and I look forward to the meeting that we will have together in January.

The special debate was hereby concluded.

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