The girls are not locked up because they are convicted of crimes.
They have been placed at Sis home Rebecka to receive care.
– Yet we are treated worse than convicted murderers in prisons, writes one of the girls.
The staff’s treatment of the girls at Sis home Rebecka at Ekerö does not meet the requirement for good quality, the Inspectorate for Care and Care (IVO) determined after its latest inspection. Of the approximately 20 girls, between 15 and 20 years old, who are in forced care there, several have contacted Aftonbladet. They want to tell about life behind the locked gates.
– I wish that everyone in Sweden could see what our everyday life looks like and how we are treated in here. Little girls with problems sit here and have it worse than convicted murderers in prisons, writes one of the girls.
The interviews have taken place through chats on social media, as it is limited how the young people can talk on the phone. Many are also concerned that conversations with the media may have negative consequences, and all testimonies are therefore anonymised.
– I was not allowed to have my phone for several days because they were afraid that I would come out on social media and tell about what it is like here, but today I got it, writes one of the younger girls that Aftonbladet has been in contact with .
The group Sis girls, who are nominated for Swedish heroes, have received hundreds of testimonials from those placed. Many have also contacted Aftonbladet.
From inside Rebecka, the young people write that they are disappointed with many of the staff, and that care is just storage.
– Last week, two young people tried to kill themselves because they felt so bad. They ended up in hospital but the staff are so unconcerned. A staff member said he works because he needs money and not for us, writes a girl.
“Waiting for help 1-2 hours”
Aftonbladet told this weekend about Kalle, 14, who died by suicide at the Sis home Folåsa. Before his death, he called his mother and complained about the treatment from several members of the staff.
A personnel problem that the young people at Rebecka raise concerns staffing.
– We were promised activities this summer once a week, such as going on a picnic, but due to staff shortages we have only been allowed to go out twice, writes one girl.
The Inspectorate for Care and Care (IVO) also states in a decision in the spring that Rebecka lacks sufficient staffing. Among other things, an employee has testified that the locked girls are left alone when there is a shortage of staff.
During the summer, the girls were promised that they would be allowed to come outside Si’s holiday home once a week on an excursion, such as a picnic. It should have only happened twice in the whole summer. Photo: Private
Several girls that Aftonbladet has been in contact with say that they were left completely alone when they were locked up in solitary confinement, and were isolated from other young people.
– When I lived in private care and had to be supervised every five minutes, on several occasions it sometimes took 1-2 hours before someone came, writes one girl.
It can also be difficult to get in touch with staff at night.
– If you knock on the corridor door, it can take 30 minutes before the staff comes.
At Sis, they only have a TV here in the day room. The girls wish they had TVs in their rooms, like inmates in prisons have. Photo: Private
Something the girls highlight as problematic is that many of the employees at Rebecka are men.
– Here a man took part in a strip search on a girl because only men were working. Some girls cannot go out with men because of the trauma and are then instead denied permission to go out, writes one girl.
According to IVO’s latest decision after supervision, on 29 June this year, excerpts from the police’s charge and suspicion register are also said to have been missing from seven of the employees.
Welcomed by doodles
Some of the girls Aftonbladet has been in contact with, and whose identity has been checked by LVU decision, have been sentenced for minor crimes where prison is not on the punishment scale. In most cases, it is about petty drug offenses or petty theft, previously shoplifting. The placement at Rebecka is also not a punishment for crime, but for them to receive care to feel better and get away from destructive patterns.
– And yet we have it worse than convicted murderers in the institutions and prisons. They even have a TV in the room to watch if they feel sick. I wish that no more girls would be harmed by the state’s violence, this is absolutely sick, says a girl who thinks that prison would have been better.
In the young people’s pictures from inside Rebecka’s wards, worn premises can be seen throughout. They live in rooms scrawled by young people who lived there before, in some cases anguished messages of cries for help.
– My room looked like this when I moved in, completely scrawled and broken, says one of the girls who sent a picture of her room.
The young people have sent pictures of posters they painted inside Sis and which they want Aftonbladet to publish.
– I have called IVO and told them, but nothing happens. How can we who are already damaged by traumatic things have to live like this, wonders a girl.
Si’s answer: It’s a hard wear and tear
David Söderman is head of department at Sis home Rebecka. He says he wishes they had the opportunity to do even more renovations to existing premises, but that the pressure on the places is too great.
– This is an old institution that began to be built in the 70s. These are not premises that are fully adapted for modern institutional care and work is underway on a detailed plan to build new premises. Then we go in at regular intervals and do renovations and improvements in the premises, but it is hard wear and tear, it is a youth group where there is a lot of vandalism, says David Söderman.
But why don’t you renovate a broken and scrawled room before a new youth moves in?
– Our goal is to refresh rooms. What has been of concern to the authority for a longer period is that we have very high pressure on our places. It can be about hours from when a young person is discharged until the next young person is placed with us. Then it is difficult in our business, where we prioritize the care of seriously ill young people, to find staff or contractors who can repaint in the short time, says David Söderman.
Young people say that they have it worse with you than convicted murderers have it in prison, which, among other things, has a TV in their room. What is your comment on that?
– I cannot comment on how convicted murderers feel, but it is true that we do not have a TV in the room. When it comes to the requirements for facilities for compulsory care, a television must be set up in a safe way, where there are no loose cords hanging, and we cannot do that when we have young people in wards. In that case, we would have to close an entire department in order to install televisions, which would also be costly.
So then it is also a matter of cost?
– Yes to a certain extent, but when we plan a major maintenance then we review the possibility of installing televisions in the rooms. We have a department with us that already has televisions in the room, says David Söderman.