(Image via france24.com)

Staff Writer: Akshit Bagga

Email: abagga@umassd.edu

Gangs in Sweden are recruiting young children as contract killers, and the job benefits that they offer include money and status in society.  

A crisis is unfolding in front of the Swedish government as gang violence is on the rise in the country. In the year 2024 alone, 195 shootings and 72 bombings were reported, which resulted in at least 30 people being killed. 

These waves of shootings have negatively impacted Sweden, making it the deadliest shooting per capita country in the European continent.   

To add to their worries, gangs in the country are now recruiting children as young as 11 to be assassin killers. As per reports, middlemen reach out to children through encrypted social media applications like Snapchat, Signal, and Telegram.  

Once recruited, these children are sent direct orders through text messages and asked to record a video as proof of the job. Gangs target poor children who need quick money and offer them bounties of up to 13,000 Pounds (approximately $16,500) for a hit.  

As per the Swedish constitution, a person under 15 cannot be prosecuted. Gangs exploit this loophole, making it much easier for them to make a younger person commit the crime and get away with it.  

In a recent case, an 11-year-old boy was questioned by the Swedish authorities after he wrote, “Bro, I can’t wait for my first dead body” on his Instagram. A 19-year-old who is suspected of recruiting the former for a gang responded to his post, mentioning, “Stay motivated. It’ll come.” 

According to a police investigation, the 19-year-old offered 150,000 kronor ($13,680), clothes, and transportation to the 11-year-old teenager in exchange for committing a murder. When confronted, the pre-teenager told the police that he wrote the post to appear cool and hide his fear.  

Police have reported that group chats titled ‘Bombing Today’ and ‘Who wants to shoot someone in Stockholm’ attract thousands of youngsters, making it easier for the gangs to advertise such henchmen positions and scout for new recruits. 

The head of the Swedish Police’s National Operations Department (NOA), Johan Olsson, said, “It is organized as a kind of (job) market where missions are published on discussion forums, and the people accepting the assignments are increasingly young.” 

Gangs also recruit children with mental disabilities and even scout in parks located in the neighborhoods. These children often struggle in schools, have addiction issues, or have trouble following the law.  

A 14-year-old child’s case recently came to light. He was working for a narcotics gang. The child was playing FIFA at a club when he received instructions to collect a gun, head to a home in Stockholm, and complete a hit job. The child picked up two pistols and a rifle.  

In this particular job, the message mentioned detailed guidelines. It read, “If the [entrance] is locked, take a stone and break it, then you do your thing. After, when you come back to the hood, you put the Kalashnikov in the same place. Then go home and shower and wash your clothes.” 

Commenting on these children, Carin Götblad, a Police Chief in Stockholm, says, “The investigators tell me that some of them are very calm. They don’t cry, they say nothing or “no comment.” They are totally lacking in empathy.” 

She adds, “Some people say, ‘they don’t understand what they have done’. They may not fully understand the consequences of what they have done, but if you are 14 years old and you shoot a person in the head – you will understand that this man is dead.” 

Some feel that these children are the ones who entered Sweden as migrants during the 2015 refugee crisis and aren’t able to fit themselves into society. Evin Cetin, who has authored a book on youth gangs, agrees that these children are migrants who older people easily manipulate.  

Cetin recalls her interaction with one such young person who said, “I don’t care about my own life so why should I care about others’ lives or the society’s life?” 

A spike in the criminal mindset among the younger generations increased gang violence in the country, which calls for both action from law reforms and actions from enforcement authorities.