Bris, Children's Rights in Society, began receiving calls concerning gang crime in 2023. At that time, there were 260 calls. Last year, there were a total of 441 calls and this year, up to November, the calls are counted as 354.
"We had just over 64,000 contacts last year. So it's not a huge conversation category on Bris. But it's still a relatively large number of young people in relation to how many young people are actually involved in crime and are under 18 years old," says Angsell.
From the beginning, the recurring theme in the conversations has been scared and panicked children who have found themselves in a situation they are unable to get out of – and it still is, according to Angsell.
But what we can see today, compared to 2023, is that children have had time to be involved for a longer time, she says.
Short-term interventions
This means that the children who call have often had time to take part in society's attempts to help, which in turn allows Bris to gain knowledge through the conversations about how the children feel that the efforts have worked.
The children – who are usually between 16 and 18 years old – often testify that the interventions do not take into account the needs for help they have formulated themselves or look at their entire situation, which may, for example, include drug abuse or living under threat of death.
Bris would prefer to see preventive measures, but notes that this is rarely the case and that the measures taken are often short-term:
Once they are involved in crime, we see that even if you get a job that might be a placement for a period of time, you are still alone when you get out of there.
Great need for control
Bris wants the government to investigate long-term thinking and collaboration. Interventions are needed that feel meaningful, safe and that they dare to accept. In addition, opportunities should be taken when the motivation is there, for example when the child is in contact with Bris, which often happens in the evening or at night.
It's so important to be able to capture that motivation, then maybe the armor will go back on when morning comes.
