Swedish Report Pins Youngsters' Radicalization on Criminal Milieus, Racism

Sweden, a Nordic nation best known for its struggle for equality and inclusion that has nevertheless seen a drastic increase in Islamist extremism over the last few years, has attributed the ongoing radicalization of children and adolescents to violence, racism and alienation.

Having conducted in-depth interviews with 55 children and adolescents aged 12-25 who either left Sweden to join a terrorist group or otherwise mingle with extremist circles, the Children’s Ombudsman’s office (BO) has released a report identifying the roots of the ongoing radicalization process.

When everyday life is plagued by violence, hopelessness and crime, and removing the destructive element seems completely impossible, in some cases an even more extreme lifestyle, that of a terrorist, becomes more appealing, the BO found.

“Living with violence and crime are definitely the key causes. However, exclusion, racism and the lack of confidence in the future, the way it appears in their own families, are other reasons why children and young people get radicalized,” acting Children’s Ombudsperson Anna Karin Hildingson Boqvist told national broadcaster SVT.