Two people working at a retirement home in Vännäs, near Umeå in northern Sweden, are suspected of sexually assaulting an elderly woman on two separate days. This reports SVT.
“The first incident is about an intimate shave and the second about a rape,” says Ulrica Westerlund, head of social services in Vännäs.
The first incident is said to have taken place on 23 December. According to the deviation report, the woman had her genitals shaved against her will.
“What we know is that it happened, but we don’t know why it happened or the circumstances surrounding the incident,” says Westerlund.
The second incident is said to have taken place on 27 December. According to the report, the woman told a relative that she had been raped in the toilet by another person who worked at the nursing home.
“It’s great that women dare to talk about their experiences, and it’s important to take them seriously,” says Ulrica Westerlund.
The deviation report states that the woman has been able to talk about the incident and the person involved.
“She no longer feels safe in the home,” the report states.
Two employees have been reported to the police, and the municipality has taken the suspects out of service, but with unchanged salaries.
“I’m very sorry for both the woman and her relatives,” says Ulrica Westerlund.
She says it’s also sad for her colleagues and the work group.
“The spotlight is shining on their business and could destroy trust in them”.
“We always look seriously at incidents where individuals are perceived to have been abused,” says Örjan Strandberg, Acting Head of Social Services at Vännäs Municipality.
“It feels very serious, of course,” Jacqueline Forsberg, chair of the health and social affairs committee, told P4 Västerbotten.
“We have a procedure for handling such incidents, and we have implemented it. The incidents have nothing to do with each other,” Örjan Strandberg tells SVT. “It’s important to deal with it quickly and with respect for everyone involved.
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