Europe’s ‘rape capital’

Reported rape crimes committed against women in Sweden are approaching 1 per 1,000 population and have increased by about 35% in a decade. Malmo is known as the rape capital of Europe.

In a thoughtful letter, “Unite for gender equality”, (PostBag, Nov 25), the Swedish ambassador expresses the characteristic sympathy of socialist democrats for victims of their policies. Calling their suffering heartbreaking and the culture of rape a global phenomenon, he suggests more men should attend demonstrations, support hashtags and engage in activism. Rape is not a “global phenomenon” as the ambassador would have readers infer, just look at Poland or Japan for example.

Dear Mr Ambassador, Middle Eastern men are raping your women like there is no tomorrow. Your government’s socialist policies are responsible for it. There is no such thing as gender equality where rape is concerned. Look at the statistics. You call for less silence about reporting rape crime yet your government refuses to collect ethnicity data from rape victims, so I ask you who is keeping silent?

All the sympathy in the world does not equate to lowering the incidence of rape. While it’s laudable to create a society where openness prevails, doing something about your government’s self-created problem is the necessary course of action. And please, preach to us no longer upon this subject until your country has actually done something to mitigate it. MICHAEL SETTER