In the video, three young people from Strängnäs and the surrounding area talk about their experiences connected to honor violence in environments characterized by gang crime.
– It started with me not being allowed to stay out late so that his criminal friends wouldn’t think that he couldn’t even control his own girlfriend, says one of the participants.
The three-minute long video is part of Strängnäs municipality’s project against honor violence and oppression.
– We get to hear directly from the individuals what it’s like to be exposed and what it’s like to have to expose, says Sara Palani, youth counselor at Strängnäs municipality, who helped create the campaign.
Problems among gang criminals
According to Sara Palani, honor is a widespread problem among gang criminals. One of the participants, who has been a criminal himself, says that he felt pressured to expose his little sister to violence after she started seeing boys and dressing more “naked”.
According to him himself, he risked being victimized by other criminals as he “isn’t man enough to control his own sister”.
– How will other criminal friends respect my honor when my own blood won’t even do that? he asks himself in the video.
Hear more stories about honor violence in the clip above.
“You are exposed to violence if you recognize yourself”
The purpose of the campaign is to make the oppression of honor visible, both in Strängnäs and in Sweden. In addition to the video rolling on a screen in the Präntaren shopping center, all schools in Strängnäs will also have access to it.
– There is a lot of guilt and shame that the young people talk about. These are tough feelings, says Sara Palani.
Will this film make a difference to those living in these environments?
– Many young individuals have grown up in this and do not understand that they are vulnerable. With the film, we can make it visible that you are exposed to violence if you recognize yourself in the stories.