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Ljusdal municipality told about nine children who were abused by a nanny.
Since then, several people have testified about similar events.
One of them is “Emma” whose child was bullied by peers at preschool.
– I was very angry then and even angrier now, she says.
It has almost been three days since the news broke in Ljusdal.
Everyone in the small community has been touched in one way or another by the information that a nanny exposed nine children to abuse in the preschool between 2018 and 2024. While the mood in the town is subdued, more and more people are starting to raise their voices.
During Friday’s press conference in the municipal hall, it emerged that several people have come forward with information about “serious events” that have allegedly taken place within the municipality’s operations over the years.
Many connected to the nanny. But also in other cases.
– It feels awful to hear, you shouldn’t have to be insecure as a girl. We have had those problems here in Ljusdal. I myself grew up here and have witnessed a crappy view of women that started very early, says municipal management manager Linnéa Van Wagenen.
She explains that this is also a problem that the municipality has been actively working on in recent years. Linnéa Van Wagenen says that she herself was contacted by girls and women during Thursday.
– I do not doubt these stories and we have added it to things that we need to check, she says.
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full screen Linnéa Van Wagenen. Photo: Robin Lorentz Allard
Emma’s daughter was subjected to abuse
Emma, whose real name is something else, is the parent of one of the children who had the now dead perpetrator as a preschool teacher.
Her daughter is not one of the nine victims of sexual abuse by the man, but for Emma the news tears open other wounds. Because when her daughter was five years old, she was sexually assaulted by peers at preschool.
– I found out about what happened from staff from another preschool, who were on the trip when the abuse happened, she says.
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full screen “I’ve never seen such passive behavior from preschool staff,” says Emma. Photo: Robin Lorentz Allard
Emma is deeply disappointed in the staff from her daughter’s own preschool, where the abuser worked at the time.
– I was very angry then and even angrier now, she says.
– I was so angry then that the preschool did not act in a different way than what they did. I got the feeling they wanted to gloss over the whole thing and say that “kids are kids” exploring. But this was something else, this was really serious, says Emma.
Emma says that they went to the emergency room that day and have medical records that confirm the hospital visit in connection with the abuse.
A meeting with guardians of all those involved was arranged, according to Emma’s experience reluctantly by the preschool. She had to make a report to the social services herself.
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full screen Municipal building in Ljusdal. Photo: Lotte Fernvall
Not entirely surprised
Otherwise, Emma says that the daughter did not enjoy the preschool at all and that she several times discovered, for example, bite marks on the girl, something that the staff never told her about.
– I have more children, but have never witnessed such passive action from staff during incidents, she says.
After what was discovered this week, Emma is shocked but at the same time not completely surprised.
– Considering how the preschool handled what happened to my daughter, I’m not surprised. They didn’t act and didn’t talk to me about what happened, it was other preschool staff who had been there at the time who took this very seriously, she says.
– If they hadn’t told me, I probably wouldn’t have found out what happened.
On Friday, Aftonbladet contacted the head of the education administration, Åsa Jerfsten, for a comment.