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Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Government investigator calls on Sweden to halt international adoption
Results of a government probe into Sweden's adoption practices prompted its lead investigator to call for a halt to all international adoptions, domestic media reported. "There have been irregularities in the international adoptions to Sweden," Anna Singer, the head of the Swedish Adoption Commission, said during a press conference on Monday, during which she handed over the findings of the investigation to Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson. "Today, with increased respect for children's rights, we cannot accept the levels of risk that this activity is and has been associated with." During the probe, investigators have discovered confirmed cases of child trafficking and illegal adoptions in every decade from the 1970s to the 2000s. The commission recommended that the Swedish state acknowledge violations of human rights and formally apologise to adoptees and their families. It also proposed that Sweden gradually phase out its international adoption activity and introduce long-term support for adoptees and their families. Minister Waltersson said the Swedish government takes the findings very seriously. "We have gained even more clarity in the fact that children and parents have been affected and harmed for decades within the framework of international adoption activities," she said. It will now analyse the commission's conclusions and proposals. Adoptionscentrum, Sweden's largest agency for international adoptions, is in favour of reviewing current practices, but questions a total ban. "If the alternative for a child is to grow up in an institution, I think that growing up in a safe family in another country could be in the best interests of the individual child," Margret Josefsson, vice-chair of the Adoption Centre, told public broadcaster SVT. The Adoption Committee was appointed in the autumn of 2021 following an investigation by the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter (DN), which found examples of what journalists referred to as "stolen children" from South Korea, China, Sri Lanka and Chile, among others. It revealed that thousands of children were adopted in Sweden with falsified background information. While the children's documentation stated that they had been abandoned or that their parents could not afford to keep them, the DN investigation showed that, in several cases, biological parents were robbed of their children. This was confirmed by the commission as revealed on Monday. "Children have in some cases been adopted without the voluntary and informed consent of the parents. The best interests of the child have not always been ensured," the report said. In Chile and Colombia, mothers told of how their children had been abducted from day-care centres and hospitals. In some countries, these activities involved gangs consisting of hospital staff, lawyers, police and government officials. The investigation by DN also found that Swedish authorities knew about child trafficking and this corruption in key adoption countries, but did not take action. In its report, the commission stated that, in some cases, "Swedish actors were aware that irregularities had already occurred when they occurred, while in other cases it was discovered much later". Sweden is the latest country to examine its international adoption policies after allegations of unethical practices. The Netherlands last year announced it would no longer allow its citizens to adopt children from abroad after a scathing report on abuses was published in 2021, including reports of child theft, child trafficking and unethical actions by officials. Meanwhile, Denmark's only overseas adoption agency announced last year it was 'winding down' its facilitation of international adoptions after a government agency raised concerns over fabricated documents and procedures which obscured children's biological origins abroad. Sweden's neighbour Norway is conducting probes into past adoption practices regarding adoptees from South Korea. More than 6,500 children came from the Asian country to the Nordic country. Meanwhile, the Belgian region of Flanders has also paused international adoptions following reports of malpractice with adoptions from Ethiopia, the Gambia, Haiti and Morocco.
Local Sweden
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
How Sweden's new 'OnlyFans law' bans procuring custom-made online porn
Sweden has approved a law to criminalise buying sex online – including personalised digital content, like that offered on sites such as OnlyFans. Here's what it means. Advertisement How does Swedish sex work law differ from elsewhere? Since 1999, Swedish laws around sex work criminalise the buyer of sex rather than the seller, as part of what is known as the Nordic Model. It also criminalises third parties, for example people who own or rent the buildings where sex work takes place or people who are involved with the administrative side of sex work. It's legal to sell sex, although the definition of what exactly counts as sex in this context hasn't always been clear. The idea behind the law is that sellers of sex (usually but not always women) should not be punished, as they may be selling sex as a result of exploitation or trafficking, while the buyers of sex (usually but not always men), are the real perpetrators. What's changing? Due to the rise of the internet, sex no longer just happens out in the real world, but also online. While much of this is in the form of porn videos, sites like OnlyFans allow buyers to specially order certain types of sexual content, for example paying a sex worker to carry out a specific act. Under the new law, this is considered as equivalent to paying someone for sex offline. Specifically, it will no longer be legal to pay for specific content, in the style of "I want you to do X with Y", but Swedes will still be allowed to subscribe to sex workers' content, as long as their videos or messages are not tailored to a particular person. What are the arguments against the law? Some of the most outspoken critics are sex workers themselves, including OnlyFans creator and law student Cara, who told Dagens Nyheter (DN) that the new law could force her to leave Sweden. "When I understood that no one was going to vote against this proposal I just went home in a panic, threw myself onto the sofa and cried," she told DN. "It was the scariest and most earth-shattering thing that has happened in my life. And no one has asked us what we think." She is concerned that her partner could be convicted of enabling prostitution if she works from their shared home – a crime with a sentence of up to ten years in prison. She also argued that purchasing specific content from someone online can't be compared to paying for sex offline. "When I have a livestream there's usually an average of two or three thousand viewers. Does that mean I'm having sex with thousands of people? No, I'm not, I'm sitting in front of a camera and a mic." Advertisement What about those in favour? DN also spoke to a former sex worker and OnlyFans creator, Samuel, who welcomed the law change. He told the newspaper that years of what he called "destructive sex" began after he was raped by an older man as a teenager. "I learned early on that my boundaries are not worth respect. That my body exists to please others." He believes it's only right that the person on the other side of the screen could face prison in the future. "Buying sex is buying sex no matter which arena it takes place in. You pay for something that the person would not have done voluntarily. There are the same risks for exploitation, the same power imbalance." Other advocates of the new law argue that it makes Swedish rules around sex work clear and consistent. An act which would be illegal in the physical world is currently legal in the digital world, and it also prevents digital sex work from being a gateway to real-life prostitution, like it was for Samuel. "It's a digitalised form of prostitution, where the boundary between pornography and human trafficking has been erased, while exploitation and abuse have been brought in," Social Democrat MP Sanna Backeskog argued in parliament as the law was being debated. Advertisement What could happen if you buy sex online? As the purchase of sex online will now be considered equivalent to the purchase of sex offline, you would risk the same sentence as you would for buying sex under current law. This means a prison sentence of up to a year. Won't it be difficult to police? Perhaps. Liberal MP Martin Melin, who is a former police officer, brought this up during the debate in parliament. "I can see a challenge for police when it comes to identifying these crimes as well as proving them. I'm struggling somewhat to see how it will work, but that's something for police and prosecutors to think about in the future. All I can say is that it will be a challenge," he said. When will the law come into force? The law has been approved by the Swedish parliament and will come into force on July 1st, 2025.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Train delays run by over 1 hr to carry mom who delivered at New Alipurduar station
Jalpaiguri: The on Wednesday demonstrated compassion by deliberately delaying a train's departure to accommodate a woman giving birth, resulting in a delay of 1 hour 21 minutes at New Alipurduar railway station. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The expectant mother, Neha Devi from Bihar's Bhagalpur, was originally travelling on the Silchar-Coimbatore Express (12516) from Guwahati to Malda Town but had disembarked at New Alipurduar due to labour pain. In the process, her train departed. Thereafter, she entered coach S-8 of the 13142 DN , bound for Sealdah — awaiting departure clearance scheduled for 12.05 pm at platform no. 3 — to access the lavatory. At this point, woman head constable Sapna Das noticed Devi, writhing in pain. She promptly alerted relevant authorities to secure urgent medical baby was born around 12.10 pm, before medical staff could reach the scene. RPF personnel from the Child Help Desk provided immediate assistance. The Railway Medical Officer arrived at 12:55 pm, delivered necessary medical care, and facilitated the transfer of mother and infant to Railway Hospital, Alipurduar, for additional the Teesta Torsa Express remained at the station, departing 1 hour 21 minutes behind schedule. "It's sometimes good to be late. We are happy that a new life blossomed on a train," a senior railway official said.
Local Sweden
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Moral panic? Sweden divided after leaked Grindr pics topple adviser
In the days after Sweden's new security adviser, Tobias Thyberg, stepped down over "sensitive" pictures from an old account on the Grindr dating app, people in Sweden are starting to ask whether it was right for him to go, writes The Local's Nordic Editor Richard Orange. Advertisement Just a few hours after Thyberg was named as the government's new national security adviser, he turned down the position – after the Dagens Nyheter (DN) asked questions about a picture they had found of Thyberg, which they described as being of a "sensitive" nature. "These are old pictures from an account I previously had on the dating site Grindr. I should have informed [the government] about this but I didn't. I have therefore said I do not intend to take up the position as national security adviser," Thyberg told DN in a comment. The pictures, it later transpired, had been sent by an anonymous and apparently unidentifiable source both to the senior political aide responsible for Thyberg's recruitment, and also to several different newspapers. That Thyberg was toppled so soon after the high-profile resignation of Henrik Landerholm, his predecessor as national security adviser, is obviously a blow to the government. It was particularly a blow to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who had created the post of national security adviser and then ignored the objections of others, including several people from within his own Moderate Party, when Landerholm, an old school friend, got the job. Advertisement "Failing twice over such a key position is extremely serious," the Social Democrats' defence spokesperson Peter Hultqvist said. "This creates an image of incompetence in Sweden." "Once again, Ulf Kristersson has pulled off the extraordinary feat of ‒ when recruiting a security coordinator ‒ putting Sweden's security at risk rather than strengthening it," said Daniel Helldén, spokesperson for the Green Party. Even Kristersson himself underlined the seriousness of what had happened, calling it a "system failure" that the possible existence of such photos had not come up in security checks. Other politicians, however, have come out in support of Thyberg. In a joint article in QX, Sweden's gay news site, three politicians argued that Kristersson had acted out of "moral panic". All he had done was send a picture, "with consent", to another adult on a dating app, an act, they continued, that is "normal for hundreds of thousands of Swedes". "What message does this send to LGBTI people?" asked Victor Harju, a Social Democrat on Stockholm's regional council, Carl-Otto Engberg, a Liberal party member on Huddinge council, and Jesper Svensson, a Stockholm Liberal. "That they need to choose: a top job in the future or an account on Grindr. Is everyone who has ever taken a sexual photo now barred from having a top job?" Spreading naked pictures of someone with the intention of harming them is a crime in Sweden which can lead to up to two years in prison, they note. Rather than committing some sort of misstep, Thyberg is in fact a victim. The comedian Jonas Gardell, who has long acted as an unofficial representative of gay people in Sweden, explained that among gay men sending such pictures is an everyday event. "You call it a 'dick pic'. We call it a business card. And I know, women often think it's disgusting, but we gays generally think it's the best thing ever," he said. The argument, of course, is that by not disclosing the existence of such photos during his security assessment, Thyberg left himself open to blackmail by foreign powers. The Moderate Party municipal councillor Hanif Bali argued, however, that the best way to turn this threat into a reality was to react in the way the government did last week. Advertisement "Ulf Kristersson's move to sack Thyberg has made us more vulnerable," he argued on Sweden's public broadcaster SVT. "The likelihood that everyone with a security clearance has told Säpo [Sweden's security police] about every picture they've ever sent anyone over the last ten years is zero. By creating this moral panic, that people can suddenly lose a job seven to eight years later, creates a massive opportunity for blackmail." The blackmail argument reminded Gardell of the situation decades ago, where gay people were barred from positions in the military "because they were too easy to blackmail". "Hello! This is not the 1950s. Because Thyberg is openly homosexual there's nothing to blackmail him about," he retorted. "Give the bloke back his job immediately. And ask him to please send the pics to me!" Advertisement What else has been going on in politics? Pourmokhtari ahead in race to lead Liberals Several new Liberal Party districts said over the weekend that they were backing Sweden's climate minister, Romina Pourmokhtari, as the party's next leader. The districts of Kronoberg and Jämtland gave Pourmokhtari their backing, adding to the backing she has already received from Skaraborg, the party's youth group LUF, and the Liberal Students. According to the Expressen newspaper, the party's Kalmar district is also considering backing Pourmokhtari. Lotta Edholm, Sweden's schools minister, has so far received one nomination, from the party's Västmanland district. The nomination process began formally on Monday, May 12th, and will end on June 24th when the party leader will be voted through in a specially called party congress. Government plans to limit union funding for Social Democrats A government committee has proposed a new law which will give trade union members the right to block their union dues from being used to fund political parties, even though a majority of the committee's members, including the non-political chair, Mats Melin, were opposed. The committee was required to put forward a proposal under the instructions given to it by the government. The rule is clearly aimed at reducing the amount of funding the Social Democrats can receive from unions. "It can be questioned whether such a regulation would be compatible with freedom of association," Melin explained in a press conference of his opposition. The committee members from Sweden's three government parties, and from the far-right Sweden Democrats all supported the new restrictions on union funding, while the other parties all opposed the new law. Advertisement The inquiry on party funding also proposed a complete ban on anonymous donations, a ban on foreign donations, a requirement that parties publicly account for campaign spending, and the introduction of a new lobbying register. The lobbying register would require companies, organisations and others who want to influence political proposals that are under preparation to report what contacts they have with the Government Offices and with MPs. The Moderates and the Christian Democrats are against the register while the Green Party thinks it should cover all attempts to influence policy, even if there is no proposal for a new law under development. Politics in Sweden is The Local's weekly analysis, guide or look ahead to what's coming up in Swedish politics. Update your newsletter settings to receive it directly to your inbox.
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sweden's new NSA exits in 12 hrs over Grindr images
File photo STOCKHOLM: Sweden's new national security adviser has resigned just hours after being appointed after old photos of a "sensitive nature" from a dating app emerged, govt said on Friday. PM Ulf Kristersson acknowledged "a systemic failure" in govt security clearance procedures. Tobias Thyberg, a 49-year-old diplomat who has served as Sweden's ambassador to Ukraine and Afghanistan among other positions over a 24-year career, was appointed to the position on Thursday. He quit the job less than 12 hours later after newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN) confronted him with photos of a "sensitive nature" from his past. "These are old photos from an account I used to have on (gay dating app) Grindr. Operation Sindoor India's air defence systems shoot down Pak drones in J&K, Punjab & Rajasthan India-Pakistan tensions: Delhi airport issues travel advisory Operation Sindoor: Multiple explosions heard at several Pakistan air bases I should have informed (govt) about this but I didn't," he told DN. "I have therefore said that I do not plan to take up the position as NSA." DN did not provide any details about the photos' content, but tabloid Expressen reported they were of a "sexual nature". Kristersson called the matter "serious". He acknowledged failures in security clearance procedures, as Thyberg has held numerous positions involving classified information for many years. An intelligence expert at Swedish Defence University said the photos were likely already in the hands of foreign powers, which could potentially use them as blackmail. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like AI guru Andrew Ng recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around in 2025 Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo "I wouldn't be surprised if other countries' intelligence agencies already had this information," Johan Holmlund said, citing the US, Russia and China. The affair is particularly embarrassing for Kristersson because of a scandal surrounding Thyberg's predecessor. Henrik Landerholm resigned in Jan after it emerged that he had forgotten classified documents at a hotel conference centre in March 2023. afp
