Over 850 Swedish pupils have not turned up at school since the summer holidays.
A month after the start of term, they still haven’t returned, reports Expressen.
The figures come from Sveriges Radio Ekot, which has surveyed the country’s local authorities. 190 of them have responded. More than 90 local authorities have schools with pupils who are missing.
Several local authorities are trying to get in touch with the parents. The local authorities do not know where the children are.
– It’s impossible to know what sort of environment they’re in if we can’t get hold of them. Obviously, it doesn’t feel right. It’s our job to get them to school,” Andreas Lundholm, head of schools in Ljusnarsberg municipality, told Ekot.
The Ekot report, as reproduced by TT, does not state where the pupils are. Nor does it say who they are.
This isn’t the first time. In Uppsala, 84 pupils were missing after the summer holidays last year, reports Vi Lärare. In Stockholm, previous cases have highlighted honour-related issues, mental health and social problems, and families who have moved or changed schools, writes Mitti.
SVT has investigated cases of children being taken out of Sweden. At least 900 in five years. The majority were taken out in an honour-related context, according to SVT. Less than a third return.
Brå has examined reported cases of honour-related oppression. The parents of the suspects were most often born in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, according to 100.se. This applies to the suspects, not the 850 pupils.
The Riksdag passed a specific criminal provision in May against taking children abroad for the purpose of marriage. It is called marriage trafficking offences against children. The Government has also asked the National Board of Health and Welfare to assess the support available to children who return after being taken away.
There is no mention of this in the TT news report.
