Fact Checking Reuters’ fact checking

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Reuters fact check from may 2023:

No evidence migration caused exaggerated 2013 Swedish rape statistics

Exaggerated rape statistics for Sweden in 2013 that have been used to suggest that migrants have driven an increase in assaults are false. Although Swedish crime data show an increase in such offences between 1990 and 2011, there is no evidence migration was a cause, an expert said.

One Facebook user (here) uploaded a screenshot of a Jan. 2013 webpage (archived: here) with the headline: “1 in 4 Swedish women will be raped as sexual assaults increase 500%”.

The image includes a graph showing an increase in the incidence of rape between 1990 and 2011, as well as the text: “Sweden has imported huge numbers of Muslim immigrants with catastrophic effect.”

Similar posts can be seen on Facebook (here), (here) and Twitter (here), where one user claims: “Mass migration from the Third World has resulted in this.”

However, the one in four risk figure is vastly overstated based on Swedish crime data for 2013, and the “500%” increase in reported assaults over a 21-year period is at least partly explained by a “drastic” widening of the definition of rape under Swedish law during this period, a crime expert said.

In addition, Swedish crime data published in 2021 show no evidence of increased sexual assaults led by immigrants or the children of immigrant parents.

Reality. A scientific paper on the subject: National Library of Medicine

Sweden has witnessed an increase in the rates of sexual crimes including rape. Knowledge of who the offenders of these crimes are is therefore of importance for prevention. We aimed to study characteristics of individuals convicted of rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape or attempted aggravated rape (abbreviated rape+), against a woman ?18?years of age, in Sweden. By using information from the Swedish Crime Register, offenders between 15 and 60?years old convicted of rape+ between 2000 and 2015 were included. Information on substance use disorders, previous criminality and psychiatric disorders were retrieved from Swedish population-based registers, and Latent Class Analysis (LCA) was used to identify classes of rape+?offenders. A total of 3 039 offenders were included in the analysis. A majority of them were immigrants (n?=?1 800; 59.2%) of which a majority (n?=?1 451; 47.7%) were born outside of Sweden. The LCA identified two classes: Class A — low offending class (LOC), and Class B — high offending class (HOC). While offenders in the LOC had low rates of previous criminality, psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders, those included in the HOC had high rates of previous criminality, psychiatric disorders and substance use disorders. While HOC may be composed by more “traditional” criminals probably known by the police, the LOC may represent individuals not previously known by the police. These two separated classes, as well as our finding in regard to a majority of the offenders being immigrants, warrants further studies that take into account the contextual characteristics among these offenders.

Key points

  • Rape, aggravated rape, attempted rape or attempted aggravated rape (rape+) are increasing in Sweden.
  • The majority of those convicted of rape+ are immigrants.
  • LCA identifies two classes of rape+ offenders: LOC and HOC.

Number of reported cases of sexual offences in Sweden from 2012 to 2022, by type

The graph is interactive at the source. Please click through and check it out at the link above.

Sweden – The number of rapes completely exploded in 2023.
“84% committed by Muslim migrants”

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

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