The Local recently reported about a proposition which could reduce violence to women who come to Sweden with a Swedish partner. The proposition would mean that the two-year rule when applying for citizenship will be abolished since the rule is thought to make it harder for women in violent relationships to leave, this according to an article in Svenska Dagbladet.
The integrity of men is more important than the safety of the women
Some of the men who bring their partners to Sweden dabble in wife importing. They start their relationship with women they can easily isolate and treat poorly. It is not uncommon for some men to repeat the import by ending the relationship within two years and then simply start a new relationship with another woman they bring to Sweden. Physical abuse or the previous import of women is something the new woman usually knows nothing about because the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) seem to find that keeping the man’s integrity is more important than protecting the women. If the couple married abroad, the application can’t be dismissed because of previous abuse or wife importing,Svenska Dagbladet reports. There are also men who act as pimps and let their women become prostitutes.
Dependence creates inequality
During the two years the woman awaits her citizenship, it is not uncommon for her to be abused physically. The women rarely speak good Swedish thus, the only connection with the outside world comes from the man. This can lead to isolation. The women often don’t know their rights and don’t know who to turn to if subjected to violence and abuse. This makes it easier for the men to beat and suppress them. We mentioned Thai massage parlors in a previous post and it’s not uncommon that Thai women are lured to Sweden and forced to sell sexual services under threat, sometimes by a Swedish partner who imports the woman with the purpose of selling sex.
The women are completely dependent on the men during the two trial years. The current process focuses solely on the women, the motive of the men are not observed. According to the proposal, the two-year rule should be abolished and the women should learn more about their rights in their own language and have translators when talking with Swedish authorities. We believe focusing on the men’s behavior and survey them better it’s the right call. It could be the first step against the exploitation and the prostitution we previously discussed in connection with Thai massage parlors. No woman deserves violence of any kind.
Elin Weiss & Hennie Weiss for RealStars
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