The union stressed that crimes against children are on the rise and argued that the policy of castrating the culprits is now needed “more than ever before”, citing a 30-percent increase in rapes against children.
Following a high-profile scandal involving a MEP and a Centre Party member, Sweden Democrats Women Union have advocated chemical castration of paedophiles.
“There is nothing more important in life than protecting our children and ensuring that their upbringing is safe and something to remember and love”, Linda Lindberg, MP and the chair of the union, and Caroline Nordengrip, also an MP and and member of the union's board wrote in an an opinion piece published by the news outlet Nyheter Idag.
Citing a study by the Karolinska Institute about lower testosterone levels reducing the risk of sexual offences, Lindberg and Nordengrip argued that chemical castration is about “medically treating a serious mental disorder”.
The two women argued that this policy is now needed “more than ever before”.
“Security is a cornerstone of a prosperous and functioning society, it is also a cornerstone of a happy childhood. There is every reason to be worried about the development that is slowly but surely climbing higher and higher on the Y-axis”, the women wrote, citing a recent 30-percent increase in rapes against children since 2010.
To counter this development, the Sweden Democrats also demand abolished limitation periods not only for rape, but other sexual offences against children, such as sexual exploitation and sexual harassment. They also want individuals convicted of sexual offences against children to remain in the criminal records for longer than ten years.
“It is high time that we tighten the protection around our children and young people”, Lindberg and Nordengrip concluded.
The call came after a scandal involving a Centre Party politician and MEP Fredrick Federley, whose former boyfriend turned out to be a convicted and conditionally released paedophile. According to national broadcaster SVT, Federley knew about the crimes. Following the media uproar, Federley resigned from all posts.
“Since my collapse when I reached a dead end, I have been unable to get peace. Everyone says that you should give it a rest, but it is not possible to defend yourself from this. It affects my family and my relatives”, Federley told news outlet DT, stressing that there is no other way to proceed.
“It raises a number of questions when a high-profile politician, possibly a future party leader, has a man convicted of paedophilia in his vicinity, with full knowledge of these crimes. The fact that Fredrick Federley, himself a parent, never even tried to explain how this could come about made things worse for him”, SVT political commentator Mats Knutson reasoned. “Few other types of crime are so emotionally charged and detested by overwhelming majority of voters”,
Centre leader Annie Lööf hailed it as a thought-out decision.
“It is a wise decision by Fredrick Federley to leave his post and focus fully on his health. What has happened has caused enormous difficulties for Fredrick to continue his current political mission. It is a personal tragedy and is extremely sad”, Lööf tweeted.
Since the 1980s, treatment of paedophiles has been offered by the Swedish Prison and Probation Service and forensic psychiatry, a system that remains in place today.
Source: Sputnik
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