19-year-old Agnes Redlund was stabbed to death during a work shift at an LSS residence in Enköping in November last year.
The mother believes that the murder could have been prevented if rules had been followed and is now demanding a change in the law.
– It is completely incomprehensible to me and there must be a change so that this never happens again.
The LSS accommodation was newly opened and 19-year-old Agnes Redlund had been working there for four weeks when a 21-year-old man murdered her.
– She was left alone at twelve. Then she was alone there with him without a personal alarm. The knives were in the drawer in the kitchen, marked with knives on the drawer as well. So it was quite easy for him to go out and get a knife and carry it out, says Maria Redlund, mother of Agnes Redlund.
The man has confessed and has been sentenced to forensic psychiatric care. The private care company that runs the accommodation is suspected of work environment violations by causing the death of another. Charges are expected shortly.
Employees are murdered in the workplace
21 people have been murdered at their workplaces in the last 15 years and according to the Swedish Work Environment Authority, employees at LSS accommodation are particularly vulnerable where the working environment has become increasingly dangerous.
– There is a lot of violence and threats. It has become a normalization of this. That is to say, you think you have to accept that it occurs, says Pia Schyberg at the Swedish Work Environment Agency.
“Totally unacceptable”
A survey made by the newspaper Kommunalarbetaren shows that staff were murdered at five different residences.
– It is completely unacceptable. Employers must work preventively with the risks of violence and threats, says Pia Schyberg.
Requires law change
Agnes Redlund’s mother believes that the murder could have been prevented if rules had been followed. She calls for a change in the law to prevent more murders in LSS housing in the future. She believes, among other things, that the residents must undergo stricter controls before they are given permission to run their business.
– I think it is absolutely incredible that you can open a private residence in 2023 without following rules, having education in order and everything as it should be, says Maria Redlund.