Sweden’s Gang Violence

A wave of gang violence and shootings in Sweden has taken everyone by surprise. The country now has one of the highest per capita rates of gun violence in the EU, with young teenagers being recruited as hitmen in ongoing gang wars. How did it come to this? 

In Sweden, children aged 15–17 can only be sentenced to a maximum of four years in closed youth care for murder. Children under the age of 15 cannot be prosecuted and, as a result, gangs target young teenagers. They start as young as 8 or 10, acting as lookouts and guarding arms, before moving on to sell drugs and to work as killers for hire. Jobs are advertised online and Sweden’s open culture – which allows for sensitive personal information like people’s addresses, salaries and who they live to be published online – means it is very easy to track down targets.

In this documentary, we hear from teen hitmen who describe the process of their recruitment and how they felt alienated by Swedish society. “Swedes look at us differently because we are Arabs… White people can have what they want,” explains one. And yet, there are also those trying to help: “A lot of the time, we forget that they are kids. A lot of the ones who get into the lifestyle are also getting manipulated and abused by adults selling them a dream that is not true.”

This documentary explores the hidden stories behind the hostile face of Sweden’s criminal gangs.