Mohamed thought he was going to stay with relatives, but when he arrived in Mogadishu, he was put into a car and driven to the detention center. The beating began immediately.
– They hit you under the heel, they hit you in the palm of the hand, in the back of the head – at points that hurt extremely.
According to him, he was put in chains for a year and a half. It was all about breaking down the youth who were there and through fear making them susceptible to being converted into “true” Muslims.
Known to the authorities
Mohamed is not alone in being sent abroad to get away from an existence on the slide. A recent study from the Gender Equality Authority covers roughly 140 cases of children and young adults who have been taken out of Sweden against their will in recent years. Of those abducted, around 28 percent are young men who are sent on an educational journey.
It is common for the family to want to punish the children, or it is done out of goodwill. It could be that they think the child has been “swedish”, ended up in crime or broke the family’s rules.
– Many who are abducted have been known to several authorities. But they have been too passive and have not carried out risk assessments. Or it has not been understood what measures are required. A passive approach by authorities often leads to an active approach by family and relatives, says Mikael Thörn, head of unit at the Equality Authority.
Defending the parents
The study is based on interviews with people who have worked with young men who have been abducted. It does not provide a national picture because it does not cover all municipalities.
– The majority of the cases that I have encountered have been of such a caliber that they may have been locked up, beaten and subjected to torture, says Thörn.
Despite everything Mohamed Hassan Ali was subjected to on site, he defends his parents’ decision to send him away.
– They thought that it is better that our son is there than in a destructive environment here.