A wave of gang violence and shootings in Sweden has taken everyone by surprise. The country now has one of the highest per capita rate of gun violence in the EU with young teenagers being recruited as hitmen in ongoing gang wars. How did it come to this?
Most of the gang members come from migrant backgrounds and right-wing politicians have been quick to blame immigration, however the situation is more complicated. Poverty, segregation and a lack of opportunities have made it very hard for many migrants and their children to integrate while growing inequality between the rich and poor has fuelled the rise of the gangs.
Veteran police officers, gang members, teenage hitmen and victims of gang violence, share their firsthand accounts of the situation. We will also hear from those who have managed to reform and become social workers and from young people of immigrant origin – first- and second-generation Swedes – who, like most, simply want to study, find fair job opportunities and be accepted as equal citizens in Swedish society.
Together with ‘Sweden’s Criminal Gangs: Teen Hitmen‘, these two special episodes of the Emmy-Award winning series ‘Point of No Return’ profile the conflicts and tension points changing our world.